Falling for your Firm
by KalGal
Summary: Ichigo and Rukia have been rivals since they both started working at the same firm. When a new investor comes into the picture the head Director will do anything to get him invested with the company, including sending his two best spokespersons to a couples retreat, there is only one problem. They hate each other.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

It was always the same. I would park in the same place every day at the same time with the same car as I did every flipping day!

But that man just lived and breathed to make my life a living nightmare. I slammed my coffee cup down into my holder and quickly parked my small Kia next to the shiny Ford truck Ichigo always drove. I shoved my costumer files under my armpit and put my brif case in my mouth so I would have the room to hold the two coffees. I waddle over to the elevator and worked on trying to fix my arrangement situation. Heaven forgive anyone see me looking like a disorganized mess.

"That cursed man is the bane of my existence." I mutter under my breath before clicking the elevator button and waiting impatiently. My heels clacked on the cement.

When the doors finally opened I marched inside and hit the third floor button with my elbow because my hands were full with two styrofoam cups. When the doors opened again I tossed the second cup into the trash can. I wouldn't need it seeing as Ichigo would have already gotten the boss one anyways.

Once I got past all the desks and back into the more restricted section I had to hold up my name tag for recognition. It got quite annoying.

"Your cleared to go Miss. Kuchiki." One of the meaty guards said before opening the door.

I fixed my dress suit and tried to look as professional as I could. I proofed my hair and arranged my files tucked under my arm to look more put together.

I quietly walked past each meeting room. The thirteen different branches of the Soul Society Firm all seemed to be in session. They marketed and sold over a million different products over the world and I was proud to say I rank up in the top of the marketing department.

I had to take over for my brother when he decided to take a few years off to spend with his wife, who's health was seemingly going down hill. I would have asked to come but I had to take his place.

The other marketing team was that of Team 5 , lead by none other than Ichigo Kurosuki, the boy who landed a huge promotion into the big leagues right out of collage because his father had connections. But I wasn't saying he wasn't good at his job, that was the problem, he was to good at it.

Every possible costumer that turns me down seems to throw themselves at his feet begging for our products. It has never made any sense.

I was so deep in thought I almost hit the eight devision's Kyōraku's assistant. Nanao Ise sighed and rubbed her temples under her glasses before looking at me.

"Have you seen my Captain?" She asked exasperated.

"Have you lost him again?" I was staring to wonder how such a brightly dresses man could be so easily lost. They focused on the delivery process of the firm.

"I swear that man will be the death of me." She smiled politely at me before nodding her head in my direction and starting off for the stairs where he sometimes hid to drink and take long naps.

I finally made it to office and started patting my pockets to find my keys. I cursed my disorganized morning. I always kept them in my left breast pocket but I had to wash all my clothing last night at two in the morning and then flap them repeatedly out my second story apartment building because my dryer refused to start before exploding.

"So the perfect Kuchiki is a little scatter brained today?" Ichigo was leaning on the door frame of his office, right beside mine holding my color coded keys in the palm of his hands. "You left them in the lock." He tossed them into the air and I snatched them mid-drop.

"You should get back to work Kurosaki." I remained stoic and refused to raise my voice any loader.

"And you should get some reminders. And call me Ichigo." He smirked before strutting into his office and kicking the door shut with his foot. I think one of the mail ladies sighed.

I shoved the bright white Chappy key into the lock and tuned it angrily. The door swung open and I stomped inside and threw my purse onto the small chairs in front of my desk.

"Only that man can make me so infuriated..." I slouched onto the wooded tabletop and let out a sign. It had been a long day and it was only nine in the morning.

"I see you and Kurosaki have already been at it." Renji smiled and sat a donut in front of my face before moving my bag and sitting down. "Did you hear the news?"

I perked up and listened avidly. Work might get my mind off the stupid child next door.

"Some billionaire actor is wanting to retire and is wanting to open a few shops and things so he has something to lean back on, you know?" I nodded slightly and he continued. "Well anyway, it's not some small plan. He wants a lot of these things. The boss said whoever can get him signed gets a pay bonus, and its a big bonus if you know what I'm talking about." I chewed on my lip and sat back in my chair, all business woman.

"This could get me ahead of Kurosaki and show brother that I'm ready for him to compleatly retire." I stood up and marched to the door with a determined stance. "I'm going to talk to the Head Director about this!"

"Rukia, wait!" I stopped and turned around. He walked up and clamped his hands down onto my shoulders. "Good luck." I nodded and opened the door-

I smacked into Ichigo and stumbled backwards. I looked up furiously and went to tell him off when over the load speakers the Directer's voice crackled over the line.

"Would all districts at this time now send their representatives." The line went dead and we both looked at each other.

"That job is _mine_!" We both said and took off down the hallway. He was faster because of his huge legs and I was also wearing heels. I grabbed onto his dress shirt sleeve and touched the handle first.

He let out curse and as was common respect, he let me enter first. The other districts muttered and shuffled around behind us. I smiled and quietly walked into the brightly lit office. The wall to wall windows allowed the cityscape to be the background for the powerful looking man behind the desk.

Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had his hands folded lightly in his lap and the speaker sat in front of him. His white haired assistant typed diligently in the corner.

"Head director." I nodded my head in appreciation but Ichigo just walked in and fell down into one of the chairs. Most of the captains looked on in shock.

"Sup old man?" He muttered and scratched his head. I shot him an appalled look. He just winked back.

"The least you can do is get your feet off my table." He pushed at Ichigo's shoes that had lefts some dirt on the polished wood. Even if I had seen his disrespectful nature before, it still shocks me to no end how rude he can be but somehow people still deal with him.

"As you all have heard an important investor has come to light." We all perked up, including Ichigo. "I have come to the decision that the two heads of devision five and six will head up this operation.

We both sat back in the seats and looked at the man like he had grown another head before looking at eachother. The other workers huffed as they left and had shut the door before we had the chance to burst out laughing.

"Sir, you can't be serious! I can get him to agree in no time-" Ichigo started but Yamamoto's fist hit the tale and made him shut his mouth.

"I picked the two of you because I need you to do something for me. I did a little background on this man, he's a real big family man, has two kids and has refused every single person that has thrown out offers."

We both raised an eyebrow, wondering where we came into this little farce.

"Notice a key word? Single." He folded his hands on his desk and placed his chin on them. "I want you to prove to him that our company is built on hard work and something he seems to like, family." Ichigo scoffed.

"We pretty much all just want to kill eachother all the time so I thing we could count as a family." His signature frown was in place, only sometimes replaced with a smirk when he was teasing me.

"He has two tickets to a couple resort- Kurosaki may I ask what your doing?" Ichigo had stood up and gotten a cup of water. He turned the tap off and brought the cup up to his mouth while gesturing him to continue. "As I was saying, you two are now married."

I shot up out of the chair and Ichigo choked on his water and started hacking into the sink. I couldn't seem to make my mouth work so instead shook my head violently.

"Um, old man, I don't think your plan will work considering Miss. Kuchiki has a stick up her ass." I glared over at him before I regained my voice.

"Sir, I respect your decision and all, but I don't think this is the best of ideas-" He waved both of their complaints away and instead handed us both glossy pamphlets and a ticket along with a thick manila envelope.

"Inside is all you need to know, we need this job you two." He lit a cigar and let it burn for a minute before taping the ash into the tray and bringing it to his lips. I refused to cough when the sweet smelling smoke drifted over to me. "I refuse to make it public that we keep losing costumers. This is the brake we need. Also... There might be a bonus to whomever gets him on our side." He looked us both in the eye. "Can I trust you?" It was less of a question and more of a demand. Never less, we both shook our heads.

"Good, I expect you to act like the married couple your suppose to be." He turned his chair around from us and I took in a shaky breath before walking out the door and shuffling down the hallways in a daze.

"Yo, Rukia!" Ichigo called down the hallways and raced up behind me. "So what do you think?" I looked up at him with my face expressionless.

"I will complete this task and prove to the Head Director that I'm better than you." I lifted my chin a little higher in the air and strutted back to my office.

I looked once back over my shoulders and watched as Ichigo's eyes snapped up from my legs and met my eyes before smirking. I imitated him when I walked into my office, I kicked the door shut with the heel of my shoe.

As soon as the door closed I slid down against the couch and into an unladylike slouch. I sighed.

"Did it not go well then?" I brought a hand to my neck to massage a knot that was starting to for at the bottom of my neck, thanks to my next door neighbor.

"It went fine, Renji. I got the job." He seemed to be happy and started to congratulate me before remembering I was unhappy.

"So what, Kurosaki yell some insult at you? I'll brake his nose for ya if you want-" I laughed a little and it sounded rough to even my own ears.

"No thank you. Directer thinks we need to work together." I tossed the case folder over and let him looked over the documents while I moved things around in my mini frige looking for the wine I normally hid behind my V8 fruit drinks.

"Ouch, that sounds harsh. Who's going to be playing your kid?" I stopped the bottle a few inches from my mouth. I looked over my shoulder in absolute horror. "I'm kidding! Kidding! Calm down!"

"I think I'm going to be sick." I sat the bottle on my desk and lay my head down on the cool wood. "Do the tickets say when we leave for this resort?" I poured a little of the liquor into a cup and swirled it around slowly, watching the red color raise and lower on the glass.

"Two days from today." He said and I clenched the cup in my hand.

"Two days?!"

**I didn't want to start another story but this just popped into my head and I think I might roll with it. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Nothing.**

I threw my luggage onto the boat and climbed in awkwardly after it. The boat was very small and the driver sat sipping a beer behind the wheel.

"Are you sure we're safe on this thing?" I asked over my shoulder and Ichigo scoffed before pushing me forward. I kicked backward with my high heel clad foot and was rewarded with a groan.

"Damn woman!" He hissed while rubbing his knee. I blew my bangs out of the way and hobbled over the the two only available seats.

"Better be carful miss, with those things on your feet your likely to brake your ankle. He had a slight tilt in his voice and when I asked were he was from he told me Hawaii.

"I had to leave my pride and joy boat in the harbor to come home and take care of my sick grandmother!" He held his hand to his chest with a dramatic flare. I raised an eyebrow. "No, no miss. I speak the truth!" He handed me picture after picture of a boat. It was very nice.

"So about this thing...it runs right?" I questioned and knocked on the fake wood dashboard. The man nodded vigorously.

"Oh yes! I built her myself when I was but a boy!"

"That doesn't boost my confidence at all." I blew my bangs out of my face again and started tying my hair back into a braid. It was a little longer than the normal length I normally kept it at, I would need to make an appointment when this was all over.

Speaking of which, I pulled out the thick Mandela envelope and took out the two papers that had been delicately placed inside. I had to grab the tickets that wanted to fly away.

"Hold onto those!" Ichigo called from the front of the boat, where he was sitting with his legs taking up the seat across from him.

"I'm not an idiot!" I yelled over the sound of the engine starting. I quickly scanned them to see details before we started going. I watched Ichigo toss the ropes back onto the dock and used one of his abnormally long legs to kick off the wooden post.

The driver slipped into a state of concentration and easily maneuvered us out to sea. My hands shoved all the papers haphazardly back into their places before shoving it into my luggage.

I was shocked at how smooth the ride was. The boat was nothing if not well-built. May not be the prettiest at the marina, but it got the job done. I was shocked from my own little world by the driver tapping me on the shoulder to tell me we were pulling into the docks of a small island.

Large towers spiraled upwards with traditional markings and runes drawn up their sides. I could smell the scent of BQQ and fried chicken even from down here on the beach.

Ichigo had started to put all of our things on the wood panelling and helped me onto the high docks.

"Why are they so tall?" I asked, brushing speckles of dust off my shoulders.

"They are made for fancy rich people and their multi-million dollar yachts." He said and picked up both of our bags. "So how long will we be here?" He muttered, staring to hang onto one of my bags that had started to fall. I grabbed it absentmindedly and pulled the information from it.

"Well Chief changed his mind a lot, but this the most recent file, so..." I looked through it till I found what I was looking for. "It says here... A week and if we haven't made any head way that its back to the office, bit if we good, its two weeks." I made a gagging sound.

"Two weeks? I can do two weeks, especially if a bonus is involved!" His frown turned into a smirk and it only disappeared when I smacked his arm.

We cleared the stairs and a small man stood to greet us. His stringy hair hung in his face and he was sweating bullets. He shoved a pamphlet into my hands and looked up horrified at Ichigo.

"Is something wrong?" I asked and he looked at me with wide eyes. He tried stuttering something out and i nodded encouragingly. He let the whole sentence out in a single breath.

"I was told to hand out a pamphlet to every person that comes up this dock but he has his hands full and what if I put it in his hands and he drops all his stuff down the boardwalk!" He dropped his stack of paper and rubbed at his eyes.

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone." Ichigo muttered and I was surprised to see him looking on with softened eyes. The boy looked up thankfully.

When we go a little farther away I nudged his side and he looked down, readjusting the bags so they didn't fall.

"That was semi-nice. What have you done with my husband?" I fake screamed and swooned. He just snorted and I could see the blush that spread across his cheeks. We passes through the side gates and started seeing signs of human life. It was good to know other people were here, the docks were empty.

"Let's just find our room ok?" He hunkered down and I unfolded the map tucked into the envelope. He took off and I yelled at him.

"Hey, Honey! Our room is this way!" I said in a singsong voice. He turned around and his signature frown was plastered across his face.

"Yes dear." He muttered and watched the other couples huddle and giggle while pointing and taking pictures with silly faces. "These people all look like love struck Fangirls."

"Well we need to start looking like a love struck fangirls because from now on, we are ones." I unfolded the the paper map and directed him to the left with a swish of my hand.

**Sorry for the late update, this story kinda got pushed under the rug...so I'll try to update more regularly now!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

I handed the guards our tickets and watched as they punched them many more times than needed before handing them back with a silver key in between them. I thanked him.

He was also nice enough to point me in the direction of the housing wing of the island. I held the huge piece of paper out in front of me and flipped it around a few times before I could read the words without them being upside down.

"First time?" I looked over my shoulder and spotted a sweet looking woman with a pretty pink sundress on. she had a vibrant smile and a bright orange ponytail. She smiled and held her hand out. "I'm Orihime and this is my husband Uryū! You looked a little lost over here!"

"I'm Rukia." I said and held my hand out to shake. She had a firm grip. "This is Ichigo...my husband."

It came out almost like a question and I looked over at the two to make sure they understood. They looked confused. He husbands eyebrow rose and he opened his mouth to ask us something.

"How long have you been married for?" He smiled politely but it held a hint of accusation. I quickly started to answer at the same time Ichigo did. I waved ahead, as if to tell his to answer him.

"Ah...three years." I rolled the number around in my head. Yeah, it would be a good number.

"Wow! We got married just over two years ago! Where did you two meet?" Orihime asked and you couldn't help but smile with her when she grinned up at Uryū with admiration.

Ichigo gestured to them as if telling me it was my turn to lie to these perfectly nice people. Think of the bonus, think of the bonus.

"Well...I hit him with my car." That part at least was true. On his first day his thermos rolled out into the middle of the parking garage and I hit him. On accident. Mostly. "He dropped something and when he went to get it, I almost flattened him like a pancake."

"Oh...that's sweet, you know in its own way!" Damn, she was good. She could see the bright side to any situation! "We meet when I sold him something for our high school bake sale and he ended up getting food poisoning."

She giggled and hugged Uryū's side. He put an arm over her and then looked up.

"Well it was nice meeting you, but we need to get unpacked and ready for the diner tonight so if you don't mind." He shook Ichigo's hand and picked up their lugade and heading to he opposite wing beside ours.

"They seem nice." I muttered and heard Ichigo picking all the bags up again.

"Oh, and by the way, you own me a new thermos." He watched me struggle to open the obnoxiously big map to find our room.

"You own me a new car, your fat ass totaled my old one."

**I had struggles over who would be here with Orihime, but because I'm so new at writing these characters, I think I'm going to go with the one I think I can write best!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

Day 0

"I can't do this." I muttered and messed around with the handle of the claw foot tub with my toes. I had dumped half the bottle of bubble bath into the water and the pink suds had over flowed the rim and spilled onto the floor. I rested my hands over the back of the white porcelain.

Ichigo went out with Uryū for drinks and Orihime had stayed with me. He had been reluctant to leave his wife with me, but he had very little chance when Ichigo practically dragged him out of the house. I picked out a nice movie and she had fallen asleep on my couch within the first five minutes. After that I plugged up the drain and got in the bath, where I currently resided.

I kept turning the water on and off with my toes.

The room was nice, a small little house surrounded by other small houses. Nothing like the pamphlet said; it promised comfort and privacy. We had neither but it was still somewhat nice.

Loud music was blasting in though the open bathroom window from the party next door. I craned my neck up and watched the large bay windows flash different colors with the blinding neon strobe lights. A couple stepped out and I watched the man light up a cigarette and the woman take a drag before handing it back over.

Under the lights, her hair almost looked purple. The man had on a dorky striped hat and his grin could be seen from here. Something about the pair tugged at the back of my mind.

I kicked at a mound of bubbles that had accumulated on the edgy of the facet. I thought about where I might have seen them before-

I shot out of the tub and heard the splash as I brought out half the bath water with me. I grabbed a towel and sprinted out into the living room before throwing open my suitcase and pulled out file after file.

When I finally got the one I wanted I quickly flipped to the back and smacked myself on the head when I didn't realize sooner.

"They are the investors!" I whispered as not to wake Orihime up and quickly threw off my towel and replaced it with a nice red sundress. I raced back into the bathroom and made sure to dry my hair as fast as possible without making to much noise.

I brushed my fingers through my tangles while simultaneously putting on lipstick and eyeshadow. When I deemed myself acceptable I sprinted to the door and slipped on my white flip flops. I raced around the small little house and then calmly padded over to the back patio where the two giggled and laughed. I walked up the steps and put a hand to my chest, pretending to be awkward.

"Excuse me!" I poked the woman's shoulder and she shushed her lover before turing around and facing me. Her large bust was tightly bound in a golden mini dress that matched her eyes.

"Yes?" She scanned me up and down, taking in the cheaply bought cotton knockoff and my lack of heels.

"Your in front of the door." I muttered and she placed her hand over her ear, motioning that she couldn't understand me. "I said that your in front of the door!"

"Oh, and who are you here to see?" She asked and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Her hands rested lightly on her hips and she shimmied her shoulders when she spoke.

"W-what! No!" I quickly thought up a lie. "My husband told me that a friend of mine from high school was here! He went out drinking so I though I would stop by." I was about to pat myself on the back for a lie well said when the man behind her scoffed. I turned to him. "What?"

"So who is it your looking for?" He asked with a cat like sly. His blonde hair was sticking up in every which way and his eyes were almost buried under the cover of his uneven bangs.

"Izumi..." I looked right at the woman and thought of a last name. "...Lions."

"I don't think we invited anyone with that name... Do you honey?" He said and the woman placed a painted nail on her chin before shaking her head, causing her purple ponytail to fly over her shoulder.

I thanked them anyways and turned to head back to the house. I idly though about how strange it was for a woman like her to be with a man like him but they seemed happy enough.

"Wait! What is your name?" The woman yelled after me. She had slipped off her shoes and grasp the small clasps in one hand while waving franticly with the other.

"Rukia-" I had to stop myself from saying the wrong last name. I held out my hand and she smiled, holding out hers too. She looked as cat like as her husband.

"Yoruichi. Nice to meet you." She placed a hand on her hip. "I don't think I caught your last name?" She asked while picking crushed sea shells from the soles of her feet.

"Kurosaki. Rukia Kurosaki." I had to stop from rolling my eyes. She grew still at my side and looked up at me strange frown.

"What's your husbands name?" She asked, her feet completely forgotten. I was almost reluctant to tell her.

"Ichigo Kuro-" I started to say but was cut off by the said mans yell from our back door. Yoruichi smirked and sprinted up the sand followed closely by her date.

"Ichigo! Why didn't you tell us you got yourself a girl!" She called and half pulled half dragged me up the porch steps and displayed the fake diamond ring on my finger.

"What the hell are you two doing here?!" He was clearly intoxicated. His tanned cheeks were flushed and his pupils looked dilated. I watched as Uryū woke Orihime and she in turn helped his drunken ass out the door.

"We came for a retreat! A chance to get away!" She said and threw her hands out in wide sweeping gestures. "Wait. Waitwaitwait!"

I slipped under her arm and quietly let Ichigo lean on me. He had started to wobble and I was afraid he would fall on the woman who would earn me a bonus. At her comment we both raised an eyebrow.

"Does your dad know about this?" She wagged her finger between us two and I watched Ichigo's whole body tense up and Yoruichi laughed. "You _haven't_!"

"Don't! I'm begging you! Please for all that is holy and good in the world, don't tell my father I'm married!" All signs of his drunken stupor had vanished and he raised his hands up in a defensive hand sign.

"Oh we won't. In fact, we will even promise to sign with your company. Under one condition." The man muttered and walked slowly up the stairs only to laugh at our confused and only slightly comprehending faces while hiding behind his fan.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

Day 1

I sat sipping expensive coffee across from my worse nightmare. He had ordered like six different papers to be delivered to our doorstep. He had blown through the _New York Times_ and _Wall Street Journal_ and was working on _USA Today_. I placed my cup lightly on the fish shaped coster before gently picking a paper from the unread stack. Ichigo didn't say anything.

"The _Washington Post?_" I muttered and opened the cover lightly. The front page showed violence over seas and a small child crying over her fathers grave. I let out a little whimper.

I never really liked reading the paper, much easier to look up the news on my cellphone or tv. I unfolded the huge paged and sat them in my lap like I had seen the guards at work do countless times.

My eyes slowly scanned the articles and I found myself being entertained. I could see why he wanted to read six.

"Why do you like reading the paper?" I asked, looking over the tall pages. He did the same and I could see a small smirk curve his lips, probably from how small I looked behind the thing.

"I like the crosswords." He said sarcastically and then answered truthfully. "My eyes get annoyed by screens so I like the paper better. Also, if you look between different articles about the same subject matter in different papers-"

He plucked the newspaper from my hands and scanned the front page till he found the thing he was looking for. He picked up an already read page from another paper and held them back to me.

"You can make your own opinion on what happens. You can find the truth behind all the bullshit they put in papers nowadays." He seemed proud of himself and I laughed.

"Ok grandpa." I muttered and read over the article and noticed something were the same, but others where tweaked, changed, and some were plain contradictory. I could just hear the 'I told you so' that was about to come out of his mouth.

"Oh get over yourself." I smiled and traded in my read newspaper for the one Ichigo discarded.

_FFYF_

"So are you planing on going to the hula tonight. They say they have real dancers and everything!" I yelled from the bathroom. My hands smoothed out the wrinkles in the skirt.

I bit my lip and looked at the dress again. Maybe it was a little to much. The white silk clung to places silk should not cling.

I had no say in the matter of dressing. I had been in the hurry to pack and had, foolishly, asked Matsumoto to pack for me. Leave it to her to find all the dresses she had given me shoved in the back of my closet and pack them in my suitcase. I pulled down the low bottom and yelled again.

"Answer me you ass!" I called and I heard him grunt from somewhere in the house. My nerves were fraying.

"Do I have to?" He asked but his voice was muffled. I quickly clipped in my earrings in and waddled out to the living room to avoid smudging my toe nail polish. He was laying facedown on the small couch, ESPN was muted on the tv. He threw all of his things in the washer the night before so he only had on a ratty old pair of PJ pants and an old band t-shirt.

"If the customers want us to go to a hula with them, than gosh darn it, we will! Get up to lazy butt!" I said and threw my flats at him.

"Stop it woman!" He yelled and threw them back. "All my spiffy shirts are in the washing machine!"

"How long do you think it takes to wash something?! They were done hours ago!" I yelled and marched to the screen that hid the washer and dryer.

I pulled it back and gestured to the piles of neatly folded laundry I had done before he'd even gotten up. He slowly stood up and poked at the still warm clothing.

"Would you look at that." He marveled and then frowned at me. "Don't say it."

"Say what, that you're an idiot? Well to bad, you're an idiot, what did your mother always do your laundry?" I asked, slamming the dryers lid in my frustration with him.

"My sister actually. My mother died when I was young." He muttered and picked up his clothing before walking into the bedroom to change.

I let my head drop onto the machines cold metal lid while chanting the word 'Stupid' over and over in my head, like a mantra.

"Are you ready to go?" Ichigo asked and walked down the three stairs to the small little entryway. I slipped on my white flats and slowly walked over. "You look pretty by the way."

I was still two steps above him and that made it easy for me to smack the back of his head.

"Don't kid with my Ichigo Kurosaki!" I said and he chuckled and opened the door, letting me go first.

"Would I ever kid with you, Rukia Kurosaki?" She whispered in my ear as I passed him. That earned a kick in the shin.

_FFYF_

The sun had set and the families had headed home for the night, leaving the newlyweds to grind into each other without the prying eyes of kids. I felt like vomiting.

The fruity drinks Yoruichi had forced down my throat was coming back with a kick. My vision was fizzy and my hands had started tingling.

Earlier in the night we saw Orihime and Uryū dancing a salsa. We had talked a few minutes before the couple left to go play horseshoes. They're so cute.

"When will the food get here?" Ichigo asked with his arms folded lightly under his arms, crinkling his freshly ironed shirt. In my drunken stupor my mind kept roving over the small v-neck the shirt had.

"Soon, we just ordered a while ago..." I said and grabbed the pink cocktail and sipped at it absentmindedly. Ichigo looked at me funny.

"How many of those have you had?" He asked and leaned in to smell my breath. "Good lord, you smell like you swallowed a farmers market!"

"I've only had like-" Hick "-Three-" Hick "Maybe four."

He let out a half sigh, half moan and quickly flagged down a waiter, asking for to go boxes.

"What? Why are we leaving?" I questioned and watched as he scoped piled of fried fish and veggies into the plastic cartons. "I don't wanna-" Hick "-Goooooooo!"

I started whining, stomping my feet and throwing my head back to let out strange gurgling noises. The drinks had seemed to make me...not care anymore.

"Rukia, quit it!" He whispered fiercely into my hair and threw his leather coat over my shoulders before leading me out to the beach. He held my arm in one hand and balanced the two boxes in the other while seemingly to be talking to himself. "What the hell was in those drinks?"

"But I don't wanna go!" I yelled again and quick as lightning another hand snatched mine.

"Well then, how about a dance?" A man asked. His face was as rounded as his stomach and he smelt like turkey.

"Back off." Ichigo grabbed my waist and pulled me towards him. My flats caught a rock and I stumbled a few times but made it to his chest without harming myself to much.

"Oh have a little fun!" He called and Ichigo turned on his heels and started walking but I pulled on his arm to get him to stop.

"Wait, wait!" I said and turned around and stuck my tongue out while simultaneously flashing my fake wedding ring. I could feel his chest rumbled with laughter.

"Stop..." He said and I complied, pulling his jacket tighter around my shoulders as we walked down the beach to the cabin we were staying in.

"I don't drink a lot, I get tipsy very easily!" I muttered and snuggled into the coats worn inside.

He just laughed without humor.

"Yeah, I know." He stuck his hand in his pockets and contoured his face back into a frown. I focused on not falling.

"Hold these." I shoved my shoes into his hand and he looked down on me with knitted brows.

I smiled and ran into the ocean.

Ichigo let out a yell and I ignored him, letting the warm water brush past my knees. The sand was moving and shifting around my toes, making me giggle.

"Get out right now!" He seemed genuinely worried. "This scenario looks creepily similar to that of every shark attack movie."

I tipped my head back and let out a wild laugh. He just crossed his arms and watched me splash around.

"What's wrong Mr. Grumpy Gills?" I asked, flapping my hands over my cheeks to mimic a fish.

"Come on, you've had your fun, I want to eat!" He motioned to the cooling containers of fish and pork. "And you better not get my jacket wet!" He added as an after thought.

"Fine!" I huffed and started splashing around closer to the beach. He watched me closely, like he expected me to explode or something.

After a short walk, the cabins lights came into view. Ours was the only one on because everyone else was in bed asleep. I was still in the shallow water when Ichigo started walking up the beach to the house.

"Are you coming?" He asked quietly so not to wake the neighbors. I nodded slightly and carefully made my way up to the door.

I rubbed my feet on the welcome mat and padded inside. I heard my flats being thrown onto the linoleum floor and the popping of plastic as Ichigo ate his cold supper from a carton.

"This tastes like foot." He called from the table.

I had wanted to lie down but I trudged into the kitchen and plopped into the chair opposite from him.

"Just order carry out from the Chinese place down the street. It's like a little town in here." I muttered and rolled the pepper shaker around my fingertips. I listened to Ichigo's deep voice as he ordered and was lulled to sleep.

**FYI: The resort is on an island, but its not the whole island. Only part is the resort and the other is an town.**

**Rukia's dress looks something like this:**

http*:/www.*simply*dresses.c*om/shop/viewitem-PD954381

**Just delete the *'s**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

Day 2

A bright light spilled through my closed eyelids and I jerked up and ended up rolling off the side of the bed and onto the floor.

I slid slowly up and let out an irritable groan. My head was pounding and my whole body seemed to want nothing more than to lay on the floor and wallow in self pain.

"Wake up you little drunkard." Ichigo yelled right in my ear and I screamed before rolling around holding my head in my hands.

"Shut up you...you...poopy head." I mumbled and rolled over and away from him. His laughter filled the air and I was surprised to notice it was a nice sound, almost breathy chuckle.

"That's the best you got?" He questioned and I just shrugged my shoulders and buried my head into the wooden floor.

"Give it an hour or so and then come ask me, I should have thought of something by then." My words were muffled.

"I ordered us some pizza. Want any?" I could hear the couch squeak and the scratch of the box being opened. I hadn't even heard the doorbell ring. "Never mind, last piece." He was silent for a minute before talking.

"I guess I kinda owe you." He said and I looked up at him with bleary, bloodshot eyes. "If you had been in a better state of mind then we would have been out swimming with sharks with 'them'."

He shoved a piece of pizza in his mouth and flipped on the tv to the sports channel. Last nights game blared out and the stats flashed across the bottom of the screen.

"What? We need them to like us!" I screamed and stood up on wobbly legs.

"They were the ones to suggest that I stay home and care for you. Who do you think was a gentleman last night and threw you up onto the bed?" He looked over the back f the couch with a scowl on his face and sauce on his cheek.

"You're worthless..." I muttered and padded over to the kitchen to rummage around the cupboards for some pain meds when I noticed the small glass of water and two blue pills. "Let me guess, Orihime brought these over?"

"No, believe it or not, I went out and bought them just for you." His voice drifted out of the living room. It was silent for a few minutes while I swallowed the Advil and sipped at the glass of water. I felt the sudden need to explain myself.

"I'm not always like that." I said loud enough I knew he would hear. I caught the sound of the couch shuffling.

"I know. You strike me more as I wine type of girl." I spun around and watched as he leaned on the doorframe before slowly lounging on the breakfast bar so we were at eye level.

"I do seem to hold wine better than other alcoholic drinks." I mused. He just smirked before his lips tilted back down into a frown.

"Probably from all that practice at those fancy tea parties!" His voice went up an octave when he said the last part. I smacked his arm and finished the rest of my water.

"So what do _you_ want to do today?" I asked and he shrugged his shoulders and held out a pamphlet. The glossy cover was full of pictures of happy couples of all ages doing multiple different things. We both cringed at the same time.

"How about mountain biking?" I asked. I had loved biking when I had gone with my brother up to Colorado. Ichigo shook his head and looked over the rest of the choices.

"What about shuffleboard, that seemed more your speed." He shoved the leaflet into my face and I swatted it away. His smirk was back.

"You go play shuffleboard Mr. I Love Newspapers." I said and watched as he threw the advertisement into the trash can and instead flipped through the phone book.

"How about we order in and watch the Harry Potter movie marathon?" He asked and I nodded happily. I could ware my hangover off with greasy fast food and twelve hours of sitting.

"Sounds great."

**Have a happy thanksgiving everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

Day 3

"Then I told her to shove it up her-" I quickly covered my ears and hoped that Yoruichi's words would be semi-clean. No such luck.

"As much fun as I'm having right now...I need to get back, Ichigo said he would make pizza for lunch and I'm starving!" I said and patted my stomach trying to show the woman that I was ready to go.

"Oh, sure sure." She murmured and waved me away with a flick of her wrist. I quickly stood and pushed my cup of tea away from the edge and farther onto the glass tabletop. "Remember the scuba diving were doing today, three o'clock sharp! Everyone else that we asked to go all said the they didn't want to because apparently sharks are dangerous!"

She burst out laughing like it was preposterous at how people found the huge ass sea creature scary.

"Yup, looking forward to it!" I laughed with her but it was forced and she noticed. She leaned unladylike over the table and practically had her whole bust falling out of her tight top and onto the crystal. "Don't tell me you're scared?"

He eyes had taken on an animalistic quality. She slid slowly back till her back was touching the white chair.

"I an not scared!" I cried and regretted it when other couples looked towards our table. I leaned forward with both hands pressed firmly to the table. Yoruichi's smirk remained unwavering.

"Well then, lets make a bet about who can swim with sharks the longest." She smiled slyly and held out her perfectly manicured hand. "Win, and I'll let you spend the rest of the day with your lover-" She winked. "But if you lose you'll have to come to supper with us."

"I'll kick your ass." I declared and stomped off till I reached the road to town. Ichigo wasn't expecting me till at least an hour later, might as well get my gift shopping done. Besides, Ichigo gave me his credit card and it would be a waste not to brake it in.

My flip flops made loud slapping noses on the payment but because no one was around I didn't pay much attention to it. I held my hands behind my back and hummed an old song under my breath. My small legs seemed to eat up the road and before I knew it, I was nearing the town.

Pretty hand painted signs hug outside the doors and dogs, cat, and other questionable animals lounged around on the welcome mats, taking in the noon sun. Between the cracks in shops sat little carts filled with an assortment of small trinkets. Some had piles of beaded jewelry, others were fabric and beautifully crafted clothing. One was even selling medical herbs.

I ran my fingers over the hand-blown glass beads in admiration. They were a swirl of color, with little flecks of green and yellow. I moved on to the next stall. Fresh fruit was stacked into pyramids and smelled wonderful. The credit card was burning a hole in my pocket and I really wanted something to eat.

"A mango for the lady." A voice said from behind me and I spun around to thank my buyer, not thinking of how close he might be. I smacked into his chest. "Oh goodness, I'm sorry!"

"Its fine, it was my fault." I rubbed my nose and looked up at the man. His black hair was neatly cut above his brow and his green eyes were bright. It was strange, but i think he had Ichigo's nose.

"Lady!" The store woman called and held out my fruit, wrapped in a paper towel. I grabbed it and waited till he payed.

"My names Kaien Shiba." He held out his hand and I shook it, telling him my name in between bites. He seemed to think I was funny. "Its not often I see single people here, I thought I was the only one."

"Oh no, I'm here with my husband." I said quickly, might as well put that out there. His face fell and he let out a huff.

"Well that's too bad, I would have liked to get to know you better." He smiled and I could feel myself blush. He was sweet. As we were walking I caught the large clock placed in the arch of a stores roof. I let out a yell.

"I have to go! We have twenty minutes to get to the boat!" Kaien seemed to have no idea what I was talking about so I just waved and threw the rest of the mango into the trash before sprinting down the beach to the cabin.

I clomped up the steps and threw open the door before racing into and grabbing my swimming suit. The sound of the shower running was grating on my nerves so I threw open the door to the bathroom and pounded on the rippled glass, ignoring the blush creeping up my neck.

"Get the hell out! We have ten minutes to get down to the boat! We can't be late." I could hear him stop moving before quickly jumping into action.

"Grab me a towel!" He yelled and I sprinted to the shelf.

"Why the hell did you place them all the way up there?!" I screamed and heard bottle of shampoo and conditioner fall off their ledges. I grabbed the hamper and pulled it over till I was tall enough to grab them.

My foot kicked the hamper back into place while my arm wound back and threw them in a waded up ball. I was happy to hear him fumbling in the bathroom, trying to get ready.

"Don't come into the bedroom I'm changing-" That was as far as I got before he threw open the door and walked in like he owned the place. "You asshole!"

I threw the clock radio at him while simultaneously zipping up my swimsuit cover up. I hadn't even finished putting on the skimpy bottoms yet.

"Calm down! I didn't see anything!" He yelled over his shoulder and the blood pooling in his cheeks told a different story. I blatantly looked at his chest while he was changing, thinking about out of the two boys I had seen today, which would look better in their swimming trunks. I shook my head to clear the stupid, immature, and unneeded thoughts.

My feet slipped into my worn pare of white flip flops and we both raced out of the house like we were possessed. Three minutes.

Ichigo grabbed my hand and dragged me along like some kind of rag doll. My legs were aching and I resolved that I would go running with Ichigo in the mornings instead of doing the yoga I was planning to. Stretches can't help me if I'm super late.

"Come on Rukia!" He called and I we both poured on as much speed as we could, Ichigo more than me obviously but that's not the point.

We blew past people lounging on the beach, kicking up sand and causing a ruckus. Ichigo even upheaved a harmless beach umbrella because it was in our way.

The boat came into sight and when we reached it, both of us were panting and wanting to go take a nap. At least I did.

"Where...the bloody hell...are they?" I asked, leaning back onto the boat and waving the the driver.

"I don't know Miss. England do I look like an idiot tracker?" He muttered. "They are practically snarks."

"What?" I asked, I had crawled into the boat and collapsed into the seat. My watch said we made it on time but this part of the beach was empty.

"Snark, its the animal from Lewis Carroll's book." He said and took the seat next to me. "Its a word used to describe someone that's hard to find."

"Wow, you really do have a brain in that orange head of yours." I muttered and rubbed his scalp before he smacked my hand away. "You a sucker for the classics? My brother really liked all of the old philosophers."

"I'm more of a Shakespeare type of guy." He murmured and I looked over at him.

"Really? I would have pegged you for more of a Chronicles of Narnia genre." I said and shielded my eyes from the sun so I could look up the beach. Nobody seemed to be coming. It was past three.

"Naw." Was all he said before shoving his hands into his swim trunks and laying back so his arm was brushing mine. The driver was cursing in Spanish.

"Sorry we're late!" Yoruichi's voice called. Her arms were ladened with towels, drinks and a margarita mixer. "We had to grab a few things!"

Her husband smiled and paid the driver, his smirk hidden behind his fan while he made polite conversation.

"So did you wait long?" He asked, his wife swearing every time her foot slipped off the small step ladder.

"No, we were running a little behind to." Ichigo answered, running a hand through his still damp hair. He had washed it for no reason. He twisted the cap on a bottle of water before taking a swig.

"Oh, a little busy were we?" Yoruichi asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively. Ichigo chocked on his drink. "Its perfectly fine really, you young things are just so, what is the word I'm looking for?"

"Lusty?" He provided.

"Yeah, that's it!" She yelled. The driver chuckled and hit the reverse.

FFYF

"Damn girl!" Yoruichi muttered, flashing a feral grin my way after we had gotten out of the water. "You sure are fearless!"

I nodded and mentally checked that all my body parts were there. Swimming with sharks is the most terrifying thing I had ever done.

We were in cages, the massive creatures swimming just outside. Their bodies shifted side to side with jagged movements, each stroke with purpose. The instructor had placed some chum in the water and I watched as the sharks swirled and rolled, fighting others for the food. Pilot fish clung to their underbellies, using them as protection. It was spectacular, in a National Geographic sorta way. Ichigo was another story altogether.

We had both been in the same cage and every time they so much as looked in our direction, I could feel his back tense up, the muscles tight even through my coverup.

When bubbles from our masks streamed upward, I was caught by how surreal the scene was. I was shocked back to reality when Yoruichi hit my arm.

"So what do you plan on using your time alone for?" She asked, crossing her legs and picking at her fingernails.

"I don't know-"

"Ichigo, Rukia wants to have sex with you!" I slapped her arm and she took it as initiative to continue. "I was going to take you guys out to eat tonight but..."

Ichigo's face turned red as the blood pooled in his cheeks. He rubbed his neck nervously.

"Good god, you're both like virgins!" She laughed and crossed her arms, making the strapless purple top cling to her chest. We both chuckled nervously.

When the boat pulled into the docks the sun was already setting behind the clouds, lighting up the sky with vivid reds, yellows, and oranges. Ichigo and I threw our bags over our shoulders and hightailed it out of there. The couple whistled after us.

"What were you two talking about?!" He whispered furiously into my ear while also smiling and waving at the people down in the boat.

"Nothing, she did most of the talking, I just nodded my head and tried to look interested. I get lots of practice from when you give speeches at the office." I murmured back before shoving my beach bag into his arms and walking back up the beach.

The door gave a click before opening. I kicked my shoes off and trudged up the stairs to the living room then into the bathroom. As I went to shut the door I could hear the sound of our stuff being dropped to the floor.

"I'm getting in the shower!" I yelled at the door, already striping down. It was around there that I remembered all my stuff was in the bedroom. "Grab me a change of clothing, will ya?"

He muttered a reply that I took as a yes and stepped into the shower.

The water was warm and felt good against my skin. The whole day had been draining. No wonder no one wanted to go out with them, the only way that could keep going like at would have to be because they suck the life out of everyone else. My body was tired and ached, my shoulders felt like lead and my legs like jello.

The door opened and I could hear the dropping of fabric onto the sink. I could still feel the blush creeping up my cheeks, staining them a bright red. I knew he couldn't see me but I still covered myself up till the door closed behind him.

After a while the water ran cold and I quickly shut it off, all my hygiene was already done. I toweled off and threw on the ratty sweat pants and the silk night shirt. They didn't match but hey, Ichigo tried.

I pulled a brush threw my hair while slowly padding over to the couch. My body melted into the cushions when I plopped onto it. I flicked the brush onto the coffee table before throwing my legs over Ichigo's, who had his legs propped up on the table top.

"Your turn, asshole."

"Was the curse really necessary?" He asked, flipping through the list of food delivery places. "How about Thai takeout?"

"Yes and then no, we just had Chinese." I muttered grabbing the remote and surfed through the channels. I finally settled on a cartoon.

"Pizza has been a favorite, so how about Mexican?" He tried again, snorting before changing the program back to sports. I sighed and shrugged, leaning my head back against the couch.

He got up to order the food while I rested my eyes. I could hear his voice drifting from the kitchen before the door opened and he popped his head out to ask my order.

"Get me some tacos." I demanded and he just relayed to order to the man on the phone. He then quickly asked for some quesadillas for himself before walking back into the kitchen.

"Will you get the door when the delivery boy gets here?" He questioned, throwing his shirt in the hamper and prepared to get in the shower.

"Sure if you quit trying to strip by me. You'll end up giving the poor boy a heart attack." After his laugh was muted by the bathroom door I quickly turned the tv off and worked on clearing all of Ichigo's crap off the dining room table.

I pushed his notes and taxes and stuff off to the side enough to fit us two and a pile of take out if we decided to eat at the table. Next I mixed up some jasmine tea with the fancy brewer on the counter. After I practically murdered the machine I resorted to mixing up a batch of Kool-Aid I found in a pouch labeled "for the kids".

We spent the rest of the night watching _Who's Line is it Anyway? _reruns and pretending like we weren't lying to everyone we talked to.

**My muse is back! I got a day off school (stomach flu)! So here, have a very late chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach**

Day 3

"Move it!" I screamed and threw my curling iron into my bag without letting it properly cool down.

"I'm working on it!" He called from the living room. I ran through the small arch and quickly tied his tie with a flick of my fingers. I had always had to fix my small cousins when they couldn't do it themselves. "You're pretty good at that."

I patted the small knot and straitened his shirt bottoms. I held back the small blush that wanted to show. His waist was very thin.

"There, we both look acceptable. We need to get down to the stage and get a seat before our little friends get there." I muttered and gave Ichigo a once over just like he did to me. Once we deemed ourselves good enough I threw my heels over my shoulder and we hightailed it out the door.

"So it's about half a mile down the road and just past the place we had supper at last night so it can't be too far. I wish you would have let me grab a map, but no, your manly pride won't let you rely on something other than your god given gift of navigation." I snorted and he glared at me. I tossed my shoes into his arms and hiked my skirt up to my knees so it wouldn't drag in the sand. It was a pretty peach color.

"Why do I have to carry your stuff?" He questioned while throwing my heels over his shoulder, much like I had done.

"That's the husbands job, stand by the wife and make them look good. You're also used to hold things we don't want to." I responded and in the fading sunlight, my fake wedding ring flashed in the rays. I tugged a ponytail out of my small bag and wrapped it around my extra fabric, making the side of my dress a big ball but it also stopped it from dragging. "What do you think this thing is made of?"

His brows furled and he grabbed my hand and slipped the stone from my finger. His frown deeper and he shrugged. I let out a sign.

"Goodness, you're just plain useless!" I yelled with a smile and threw my hands up into the air. He let out a slight chuckle as I started swaying to the music I could hear a little ways ahead. "Oi! What are you laughing at Mr. I-Don't-Dance?"

"If you acted like this at the office a little more, maybe you might have a few more friends." He easily grabbed my hand and slipped the ring onto my finger.

But his fingers never left mine, instead he set his hand on my waist and spun me around. I pushed at his arms when he wrapped me around the waist and spun me around.

"You asked me to dance!" He called over the wind blowing through my ears. I let out a strangled scream that persuaded him to put me down.

"Don't think you can just pick girls up like that, at that rate you'll never get a girlfriend." I quipped while retying the bundle of cream silk fabric. "I don't think that you have ever had a real relationship with anyone have you?"

"I have too. She was nice." He replied quietly and all the playfulness of the situation deflated from the conversation. His hands slipped into his pockets and the latches of my high heels clanked together as we walked. "We better get going."

His pace picked up and I pumped my legs harder but I still lagged behind. I ran, grabbing the elastic from my dress and lifted the sheer material like some princess from a cheesy fairy tail.

"Don't make me run after you!" I yelled and watched as he slowly stopped and spun around to look at me. I could feel my heart beating through the silk wrap around my right shoulder and the flush that came every time I so much as lift a spoon. I caught up and slipped an arm through the bend of his elbow when a jeep drove past but didn't remove it when when it disappeared. "We both dislike each other, so tell me about her, the woman, its not like I'll tell anyone."

"But O, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes." He quoted, a light dusting of a blush peppering his face. "She liked another man. She went after the other man. She dated me while sleeping with the other man. End of story."

It was them that I noticed we had walked off the labeled path. The islands natural trees were a richer green than the rest, thick vines hung from strategically placed branches, and birds chirped from inside the thick foliage. I tugged on his white sleeve and he just laughed.

"What's wrong princess, never seen real animals before?" I just smacked his arm and lifted my skirt higher to avoid farther dirtying the hem. "We are gunna be so late."

"Don't remind me, can you call them and tell them to save us seats?" He nodded and gestured for us to go back the way we came. I skipped ahead and when the trees parted and we were back to civilization, a bright purple jeep revved to a stop in front of me. Yoruichi's head popped out of the drivers side window.

"You guys need a ride?" She called, her white dress highlighting the darkness of her skin, making her look like a busty supermodel.

"How did you know?" I yelled back, throwing my shoes into the back seat and giving an odd look to the other couple in the car. They just nodded and I gave a raised eyebrow to Yoruichi.

"They needed a ride too. Were is your husband?" She asked, twisting around to look at me over the high back of the chair. "You might have to share a seat if we all want to fit. That'll be fine right?"

I gave a tight nod just as Ichigo cleared the tree line.

"Hey sweetie, you get to ride in the back, but we are running low on empty spots might have to _share_!" Her voice went all singsong like and she flicked her thumb back to show I was in the last seat.

His face lit up like a Christmas tree and he dropped his gaze down to the ground while he gently scooted into the Jeep. The two others made noises of discomfort at the small amount of room we were giving them because Ichigo was to big a pussy to sit me on his lap. I let out a sigh.

"Quit acting like a high schooler." I muttered into his ear as I climbed up onto his legs which he had to bend to fit. The couple let out a sigh and the woman, pretty with strawberry blonde hair, gave me a thankful smile. Ichigo on the other hand when ramrod strait. "Suck it up pretty boy, were married so act like it."

Other other inhabitants of the Jeep laughed, thinking it was a joke but he got the message, his posture relaxed and his arms draped lightly over my shoulders. I could feel every breath that he took through the freshly starched shirt, our walk making him smell slightly like sweat and trees and maybe even a little like dirt. Now it was my turn to start blushing like in idiot.

"Look!" The driver called, completely ignoring her husband who was having a very in depth conversation with his phone.

A huge stage had been the tethered to the side of a low lying large cliff, its pretty red sides flapping away in the wind. I could already hear the band trying to set up and some tuning. We turned up the small road and I grabbed my seat to stop myself from bumping all over Ichigo.

"Well this was not how I expected to die." Kisuke muttered, flipping his phone shut and grabbing onto the cars handles to stop from falling out of the Jeep's wide open window.

When we finally pulled into the crudely made parking lot a small valet rushed to the side and helped Yoruichi out, her flowing taffeta dress flowing behind her like a small wave. Kisuke held his elbow out politely and I watched as the two lovingly walked inside. Even if they seemed a strange pair, they really seemed to love one and another.

"Are you coming, or are you going to make me look like an idiot holding the door open for a girl with her eyes trained on the chair in front of her?" Ichigo huffed and I slowly turned towards him before handing him my shoes. "What do you want me to do with these?"  
"Can you put them on for me? I always miss the clasp." I asked, my tone so low I wondered if he even heard my whisper. But he must have caught something because his frown deepened as he sunk to one knee and helped with my high heels. After that I carefully climbed out of the car and let the men park it. We slowly joined the throngs of people making their way inside.

"So what was the whole, gazing longingly thing about?" He questioned, leaning down so his breath brushed over my ear and raised gooseflesh on the back of my neck.

"Do you ever wonder what it feels like to really love someone?" I blurted out and instantly regretted it. Blood pooled in my cheeks and I buried my hands in my dress, the two colors of beige blending together.

"Naw. As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words.'" He quoted. I watched his eyes flash over to me before focusing again on getting us out of the bunches of people and over to the table were our investors were sitting.

We both took a seat and waited for the show to start.

Not long after a woman strutted on stage. Her tight red cocktail dress left nothing to the imagination. Her short blonde hair was in tight curls around her head and her bright red lips pouted out towards the crowd. She attempted to get the microphone from the stand and wiggled her hips a little in the process. The men whistled.

"I swear you can almost see her religion threw that thing." I whispered over my shoulder and was rewarded with Ichigo having to wipe the red wine from his mouth from when he snorted. When she finally got it free she held it carefully to her mouth.

"Hello and welcome to the resort! Me and my family would like to personally welcome you to tonight's events and I hope you enjoy yourselves!" She pointed to a small orchestra and slight melody started playing before she shuffled through groups towards the table next to ours.

"Oh shit." Ichigo muttered and quickly looked down into his soup. "You need to hide me, like, _now_!"

"What? I don't think so, this clam chowder looks absolutely scrumptious-" He cut off my words with a kiss. He tasted like mint. And dirt. And kinda like wine. And chocolate. He tasted good. I could feel him turning his head, trying to angle himself away from her view.

"Ichigo is that you? I almost missed you, hiding behind that scrap of a girl!" I high voice chimed and he reluctantly broke away, leaning his forehead on mine and whispering to me. I probably looked like a floundering fish.

"God damnit, don't say I didn't warn you." He informed me before standing up and smiling tightly at Miss. Red Dress. "Hello Missy, good to see you again, how long has it been? Two years?"

"Three." Missy corrected, leaning over the table to kiss each of his cheeks. "And who might this be?"

"This is my wife, Rukia." He introduced me and I held out my hand for a shake. She gave it a look before grabbing my pointer finger and giving it a slight bob. She gave me a once over and after deciding that I was not a threat, went back to flirting with my husband. Time to play my part. I should get a Grammy for this.

"Ichigo, you didn't tell me you got married! I never got the invite!" She laughed but it sounded forced. "What were the colors?"

"The what?" She looked to me for this question and I scrolled through my mental list for answers. I drew a blank. Never mind, no Grammy for me. I'm like Leonardo DeCaprio. "Oh you mean the color scheme?"

"Yes, what type of bride doesn't know that?" She questioned, her little bobble head tilting to a side. Again with the small half smile, the little bitch. I reached down and took a sip of wine. She was so going down. Scrap of a woman, my ass.

"Why don't you sit down, and I'll explain every aspect of the beautiful ceremony and maybe if you keep asking ill explain the wild time we had on our honeymoon."

FFYF

"I just got away from her. That was a bitch fight back there if I ever saw one." Ichigo commented, sipping with one hand a glass of wine while also flicking ash off his lit cigarette with the other. I was leaning on the wooden railing overlooking the breathtaking view and a devastating fall. "I know you got questions, so fire."

"Who is she? Is she the woman that left you?" I fired back, wasting no time. The red liquid sloshed around in the almost empty bottle.

"No, just an old ex. We dated a little in collage, she liked younger guys, I was a younger guy, so we hooked up. Lets just say Missy liked being the more experienced partner, and in this case, she wasn't." He took a drag.

"I think I'm going to vomit up all this fabulous wine I just inhaled if you keep talking." I responded, tilting the green glass to the night sky and letting the last bit of alcohol run down my throat.

"Don't you think you have had enough?" He asked, reaching over to pluck the bottle from my grasp but not before I chucked it out to sea. My arm wasn't very strong and the shatter of glass came soon after my throw. "What was that for?"

"I was picturing Pissy's face." I sneered. My feet shuffled and I turned around to face him. His mouth was drawn down with distaste and his bright hair was obnoxiously messy. A sudden thought hit me with the force of a freight train, but that may only be because I was hammered. "What was with the whole quoting thing?"

"It's Shakespeare. I happen to like him like I mentioned on the boat." He leaned back so his elbows rested lightly on the railing. For the first time all night a small smirk peeked at the corner of his mouth. It made him almost seem ruggedly handsome in a scruffy sort of way. "What are you looking at?"

"Speak words of great wonder into my ear, oh wonderful teller!" I slurred, throwing my hands up in a jumbled mess. He shushed me and grabbed both my hands to stop me from flailing around.

"And I thought you said you could hold wine..." Ichigo murmured before freezing and quickly spinning me around, trying to direct me to the makeshift rock stairs winding down the small mountain and towards the road. "Tell you what, if you can shimmy your ass down that rock wall, I'll tell you all the quotes I can think of, just don't let that woman find me."

My head lulled to the side and the buzz I was nursing vanished when I saw Missy pushing her way through the crowd and out onto slightly less crowded porch. I shoved my tan heels into his hands and lifted as much of my dress up as I could. The rocks dug into my soft feet and I grabbed onto the rock as much as my dress covered fingers could hold. My skin was almost humming with Ichigo's warm body pressing into my back and the warm sea breeze blowing my hair away from my neck.

"Ichigo? Ichigo!" She called and a string of curse words followed it when see found his spot vacant. Ichigo's hands grabbed my waist to stop me from sliding down the little incline we had left. We both laughed silently while watching her look around fruitlessly for her lost lover boy.

I dug around in my clutch trying to snatch my phone. The bright white cover was covered with bunnies and I tried to hide it from his view but I got a whole teasing about it while scrolling through the contacts. When I found Yoruichi number I quickly hit send.

"Sup girly? Where are you guys, out on the beach having se-"

"No Yoruichi, we need to run, Ichigo's fan girl is getting clingy." I plugged my ear to block out the sound of waves crashing against the rocks and sand.

"Oh fine, but one of these days we all need to do something together. Investments are a hard decision! Don't take my car, I'm smashed and I need it to get home, sorry!" She said so quickly it was almost one sentence.

"Well the good news is that we are free to go, the bad news is that we have no car, I'm buzzed, you have a stalker, I don't have a beer, and our condo is like three miles away." I rubbed my face and looked to him for advice.

"First, I think you need to get your priorities strait, second, we do have feet and can walk, and third, I didn't know you liked beer." He smirked and started back up to the road.

"Of all of those things, that's the one you focus on?" I questioned.

"Like I said, priorities."

"You have got to be kidding me." I grumbled and followed closely behind. We walked slowly, our hands swinging back and forth, and watched the moon reflect off the water. We also walked in silence. I don't know if we just didn't want to talk, or didn't need to, but it was rather dull thinking to myself. "So what went wrong with Pissy Missy back there?"

"Normal, really. She was a little clingy, calling every hour, you know, so I dumped her and she took it a little harsh." He shrugged his shoulders and shot a gaze my way. "She really hated you."

"Don't seem so smug about it." I chided, looking down to my dirty feet to make sure he couldn't see my smile. The road was now lit with lamps and housing tenements came into view. I let my dress down and liked how it felt when it swooshed around my bare feet.

"Oh the princess lets her hem get dirtied by these lowly peasants pathways?" He asked, putting a hand to his chest in mock shock. It was a comical sight to say the least. I laughed and felt the slightest bit tipsy.

"Oh my dear stable boy, how dare-ith thy speck-ith to me in such rude tones!" I replied, pulling the bobby pins from my hair and let it flutter around my shoulders before doing a little twirl.

"I like the buzzed you better than the uptight, normal you and the hammered, incoherent form." He joked while lightly punching my shoulder.

"Promise me something. When we get back to the office and we start hating each other again, can you teach me how to do that whole foot closing door thing? I always mess it up." I knew how completely ridiculous that sounded but i could feel it, something was different about Ichigo and I was going to find out what even if I had to do it at work.

"Sure, if you can tell me how you managed to get wine into your office mini fridge without the boss noticing." He fired back and I let out an unladylike snort.

"Get two bottles and haul ass to your cubical with walls, hide it behind your V8, when he comes to investigate give him the second bottle as a gift and tell him the other was a gift to another coworker for something or other and bada bing bada boom, you got yourself a liquor stash." I explained and watched as he took this all in. A smile spread across his face and I was surprised to notice how it lit up the rest of his features as well.

When we finally got home I locked myself in the bedroom and peeled myself out of the dress witch was clinging to every part of my body because of all the physical exertion lately. I tossed it in the hamper and gave a quick glance at the clock.

The bright green numbers blared back and I let out a sign. Two in the morning.

The plush bedspread would be to much for me so I pulled it off the sheets before throwing it onto the couch. Ichigo was in the shower and I knew that no matter what he said, the foldout was not comfortable. Maybe a stuffed comforter would help. I spun back around and slowly made my way back into my room before tucking myself into bed and hoping that tomorrow might bring more fun.

**As promised, another chapter. I'll try to have regular updates but no promises...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

**A/N: This chapter is really cool when listening to Matt Nathanson's song _Faster_. Just sayin'.**

Day 4

It seems my life has come to be 90% dashing around the cabin scrambling to get ready and 10% yelling at Ichigo to get out of the bathroom.

I threw on my best pair of jeans and a pretty blouse, completely ignoring the man changing in a flurry behind me. His black night shirt landed on my head while I was in the middle of straining my hair, the thick material starting to smoke. I chucked it at his back.

I couldn't get into the bathroom because the power couple dragging us to the amusement park today were having a hot make out session on our counter top. We had both learned that the hard way.

"Have you seen my nice white button-up sandals?"I asked, throwing piles of clothing over my shoulder so I could reach the bottom of the bag.

"Yeah, you get them wet when you did dishes last night and put them out on the deck. Have you seen my red belt?" I yanked the door open and was rewarded with my shoes and I yanked the belt off the coat hanger in the living room before throwing it into the bedroom. A muffled thank you was heard.

"I need my white earrings, they should be in the little clam shell!" I yelled thought the bathroom door while also banging repeatedly. Finally Kisuke and Yoruichi strutted out, no shame in their activities.

I raced in and scrambled for my bangles and small hoop earrings. Ichigo stretched up and grabbed his bag from the top shelf before popping the lid off the deodorant and reaching up under his shirt.

Now it wasn't like I had a crush on him or anything but it would be a shame against nature not to say he was nicely built. When he lifted his arm again I discreetly caught a peek of his tanned stomach. I could feel a blush spreading across my cheeks.

Now I felt like slapping him. Just yesterday a woman told me she had seen my so called husband running around the scarcely used beaches at like five in the morning without a shirt. Who the hell would want to be up that early in the morning is beyond me but that he liked to run shirtless almost made me want to curl over and die.

"Snap out of it! Why the hell are you blushing at a time like this?" Said man yelled, shaking my shoulders and pushing me out the door and down the steps to waiting car.

"Step on it Kisuke!" Yoruichi called, rolling her window down and letting her hair flutter around her face.

"So what were you kids up to today before we came over?" Urahara asked, lighting a cigarette and flicking it with thumb to knock the extra ash off the tip.

"Apparently Ichigo was harassing a woman that lives over in the unused beach houses with his shirtless morning jogs." I answered, crossing my arms and watching him squirm in his seat.

"I thought all those houses were vacant. Besides running gets hot." He confided and I let a giggle crack my harsh visage. He let a small smirk slip through his mask of guilt. A bright flash blinded us both momentarily.

We both blinked a few times and watched as Yoruichi squealed and her husband laughed, grabbing her hand and kissing it lightly. They were such a strange pair. She turned around and showed us the picture on her camera phone. We were smiling at one and another.

"When you two have a fiftieth wedding celebration, we can use this picture!" She laughed, throwing her head back and letting the wind again take her hair.

When the docks came into view we all started to get giddy. I could spot Orihime in her brightly colored yellow sundress sitting next to her husband,both were deeply talking about something.

"Hey guys!" I called over the hustle and bustle of the pier. They both stood and waved.

We all loaded the ship, a small Tug Boat that's only purpose was to travel to the mainland. Uryū got sick halfway thought the half an hour ride and was in the restroom most of that time, his nervous wife continually knocking on the wooden door to make sure he was ok.

"Look!" Yoruichi exclaimed and pointed franticly at the huge Farris wheel spinning around, it's lights already lit up even though it was only 5:30.

When we docked, people pushed and shoved us. We all regrouped by an ugly clown trashcan.

"Well Yoruichi and I are going to the Tunnel of Love, it's required and we need to get it out of the way before we tackle the big boys." His explanation was punctuated with his wife's squeals of excitement.

"What do you mean required?" I asked but my question was swept under the rug when Uryū started talking.

"Orihime wants me to play the darts game and win her that bear thing. How about we meet back here at 7:00 for supper before leaving at 8?" We all agreed and as I went to ask my question again, they all dispersed, leaving just me and Ichigo looking like losers talking to a clown head.

"What ride do you feel like riding first?" He asked and I motioned to the one that looked like an octopus.

When we handed the man our tickets he shook his head and explained because we got them from the resort, the Tunnel of Love had to be ridden first to promote it or something. I really didn't listen, I was to busy banging my head on Ichigo's arm in annoyance.

We waited in line with a pile of other couples and when we finally got to the front and angrily handed our pink tickets to the perky teen with the hole puncher, she directed us to the heart shaped boat with the big number six printed on the side.

"Good god, I think I just might puke." I whispered, leaning in close so the cheery couple in front of us wouldn't notice. He snickered and rested his arm over my shoulder so get the ticket woman would stop glaring at him.

"Don't pull any moves, got that?" I joked, taking my pinky and my pointer finger and pointing them at my eyes then his, indicating I would be watching.

The ride went on forever, pink covered everything and the lights were constantly going off, most likely to give the people time to make out. I just kicked my feet up on the front of the boat and rested my head on Ichigo's shoulder. I was still tired from playing beach volleyball with the neighbors that morning, no mater how much coffee I had scarfed down.

When the torture stopped we practically ran to the Tilt-A-Whirl and spun the wheel till we felt like vomiting. I was kinda having fun, getting payed to hangout with a coworker at an amusement park? Big yes.

Next on the list was a giant orange contraption brighter than even Ichigo's hair. It spun around and the three different arms seemed to almost hit each other before jerking back at the last minute. We handed them our ticket and we slid into our spots. The man that clicked the bar into place was trying to say something but the wind blew away his words and he just rolled his eyes.

We figured out what he meant when the ride started. With the carts spinning around so fast, the person on the right was crushed by the person on the left. Lets just say I was not on the left.

We played a dart game were Ichigo kicked my ass and won me a small Chappy rabbit. I tried to play the game with ducks in the pond and gave up because let's face it, who really knows how to play them?

When we finished the rest of the rides, Ichigo bought two huge corn dog that were the size of his arm and a funnel cake for dessert. When we sat down to eat, I had to use three plates to hold the beast. After we finished off all the food, we had a Jedi dual with our corn dog sticks.

On our way back to the designated clown trashcan, I spotted a booth with those little water guns, it was one of the few things I remember doing with my sister before she got to sick to move much. I always won, even against my brother who was perfect at everything.

"_One_ last thing." I pointed to the stand and he smirked, confident in his skills.

"You're on." We payed the nice man and when the countdown finished and our guns were loaded, I watched my little duck shoot up. When it reached the top, it was a landslide win. I heard Ichigo groan and laugh at the same time, making his voice deeper than normal.

"We'll take that!" I cheered, pointing to the pair of plastic blow up swords. Their shiny surface was calling to me with promises of smacking Ichigo with them.

"Don't give them to her she will beat me with them, I'll never hear the end of this!" He pleaded with the vender who laughed and made a good-natured shooing gesture to us.

"Yes underling, let us retire to my castle!" I called, grabbing the white sword and brandishing it with a flourish.

"Come on!" He finally said, throwing grates at people who looked at us funny. "If I didn't know better, I might think that you're drunk."

"No, I'm sober, its just that its not often you get payed to got to the amusement park!" We were both silent for a few seconds and then he looked down at me.

"What if we split the reward, that will still be a pretty hefty amount of money, and judging by your expensive taste in jewelry, you certainly are not low on money. Nether one of use really convinced them to invest, they did that by themselves. But the boss needed know that." His smile turned almost cat like. "Besides we get a free trip out of it."

"I agree to your terms Cheshire." I held out my hand and we shook on it. He seemed to like the nickname.

"Now let's get going, all this kicking your ass is making me hungry!"

**Quicker update this time. I loved writing this, it was so much fun! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

Day 5

I sipped tentatively at the pretty porcelain mug, its handle made to look like a dolphin and its sides painted with an assortment of sea life. The noon day sun was covered with dusty clouds and the air had a slight zing to it, a tale tell sign of an oncoming thunderstorm.

Yoruichi had already been over, she wanted some information on how our company worked. After that bored her, which was, at tops, five minutes, she wanted to know why we would come all the way out here to get a client. I did what any good working woman should do.

I lied.

Something about needing more clientele and also needing a brake. We went for a quick swim and it was around then that she asked about me popping out an orange haired kid. That was also when I escorted her to the door.

So here I was, lonely and in an oversized sweater that may or may not belong to Ichigo, sipping coffee that was much to expensive tasting, and waiting for my fake husband to get back from drinks with Kisuke so he can take me out to a nice supper of seafood.

Orihime stopped by after the theme park yesterday. She was covered head to foot in small stuffed animals the venders had all gave to her but the one she treasured above them all was a small ugly cat, the only thing that she had truly won. She had picked the right duck to get the thing, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

I pulled my legs closer to my body to stop the slight chill that raced up my spine. I loved storms.

Something about the uncontrollable nature of the weather just intrigued me. The way the whole world seemed to be angry and threw a fit. When I was younger I used to sit outside for hours with the maids scrambling around, confused as to what should possess a six year old to wander around in a downpour. I had gotten a nasty cold, but it was worth to to see the river down the street. I broke its banks and the once clear water now contained hunks of metal and small trinkets, its hue a thick tar color.

"What are you doing our here?" Ichigo called, leaning out the open door. His hair was wet and dripped down into his face, a burn amber shade. "And do I even want to know why you're wearing my sweater?"

I just shook my head and continued to sip at my mug. He signed before walking back inside and exiting again with a beer in his hand. He plopped down into the seat next to me, slowly letting his back slip down till his neck rested on the chairs backrest.

"I needed to wear something over my swimsuit so men would stop staring, plus, I'm cold." I muttered leaning my head to the side so I could give him puppy dog eyes.

"So Urahara mentioned that tonight a boat was going out onto the water-"

"No." I cut him off with a sharp glare in his direction. He just sighed again before taking a swig of his beer.

"I was getting to that part, geez. Anyway, as I was saying, I don't think he understood that we are going to have a thunderstorm tonight." His eyes went all far off and for once, I wondered where he went.

"How?" He blinked and his eyes refocused, squinting to think about the question I just asked him.

"How what?"

"How did you know it would thunderstorm?" I asked, genuine curiosity getting the better of me.

"The same way you did." He shot back, lifting himself out of the chair and into the house the exact moment the heavens parted and rain drops started dropping from the sky. I jumped out of my seat so quickly I think I might have gotten whiplash.

I slammed the door shut right as the first thunder clap rattled the skies soon followed by the lightning, seeming to, for just a second, tear open the universe. I mused silently to myself till Ichigo placed a hand on my shoulder causing me to jump.

"I know we're we can go to get a better view." He teased, his eyebrows raising up suggestively. I laughed and he lead me quietly to the front stoop.

He dusted off the thin layer of sand covering the bottom step before throwing out a spare towel and patting it like he was waiting for me to sit.

When I finally submitted, I was surprised to see that the low overhang of the front porches roof was tilted well enough to keep the water shielded away from us.

Thunder and lightning bounded out from the clouds, lighting up the sky and making it shake. The earth itself seemed to tremble.

"What are you thinking about?" Ichigo asked, tilting his head so he could see me more clearly.

"I'm thinking that maybe I should be a poet. I'd be good at that." I muttered, almost to myself. I whispered a few stanzas and he let out a laugh. Not a small chuckle, a loud, joyous _laugh_.

"'Disappointments are to the soul what a thunderstorm is to the air.'" He quoted before leaning back on his elbows. "Friedrich Schiller."

"'I get my best ideas in a thunderstorm. I have the power and majesty of nature on my side.'" I tried my hand and before I could think of from whom I taken the quote Ichigo muttered his name.

"Ralph Steadman, right?" He signed and let his head roll back on his shoulders. "This is going to be a long day."

An hour later we tired of the cold and packed our things to go inside. We flipped through the three available channels before settling on a game show, ignoring the flashing weather advisory signs at the bottom of the screen.

"History for a hundred you said? Ok! How many transatlantic trips did the Titanic make before sinking? " The handsome host asked, flashing a smile at the chubby woman with her hand on the buzzer.

"Six!" I yelled and I could feel Ichigo laughing at be from his side of the couch.

"Zero." He answered and I screamed when the little tile flipped over and letters spelled out his guess.

"God damn it! I'm not losing to you!" I screamed, my competitive streak getting the best of me.

"Next question for Arts & Literature. Where did The Wizard of Oz live?" he questioned and flipped the card around in his hand while the man shook his head in thought.

"The Emerald City!" We both cried at the same time and I waited through the pregnant pause till the Mr. Host Guy yelled out the correct answer and I through my hands up in celebration.

"Now we move onto the lightning round. The fist person to answer these questions gets the points! Now let's go! First question, When was the Apple II computer introduced?" Ichigo picked up the remote and paused the program.

"Tell you what, lets make a deal. Whoever gets the least amount of points this last round has to sleep on the couch. Deal?" I shock his hand and crossed my fingers, this lazy boy looked ancient. He clicked start.

"1977." He answered and the answer popped up on the board. Hundred points. Damn.

"What country's flag was Christopher Columbus sailing under when he discovered America?" Easy for Ichigo, he blurted out Spain before the question was even fully told.

"What is the name of the winged horse of Greek mythology?" This one was simple enough for me when I shouted out Pegasus and it dinged correct on the screen.

"What is Miss Piggy's surname?" My sister had told me this one when I was a child and had gotten sick. I racked my brain and when I looked over to Ichigo he seemed to be thinking especially hard about it too. About time he got his head into the game.

"Lee!" I suddenly remembered and I heard him subtly curse under his breath before forcing out a chuckle. "I'm going to kick your ass, pretty boy!"

"Who was said to 'float like a butterfly and sting like a bee?'" He asked, the clock in the corner of the screen counting down.

"Muhammad Ali." Ichigo replied correctly. "You may kick my ass but it will be your butt sleeping on that couch tonight."

"Which nursery rhyme character "kissed the girls and made them cry"?"

"Georgie Porgie." I answered easyily, thanking my sister for telling me all the random facts about the bedtime stories she read me and hoping that a geography question would come up. I was a pro with a map.

"What are the Northern and Southern tropics also known as?" I yelled with joy and poked my finger into his chest while chanting Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn like a motto.

"Final question. Who wrote the novel "The Da Vinci Code"?" When the question left his mouth I knew I was screwed. I may be a geology buff but I had had nothing on Ichigo when it came to books.

"Dan Brown, copyright is 2003, 454 pages in the US hardback and 583 in the UK paperback. I can go on all day sweetheart."

"We both answered the same number of questions dumbass!" I felt bad for using such a large amount of curse words but I was going to beat his butt. "I'll ask you a question and then you'll ask me one then after that, we will tell which one wins, in which case the winner gets the bed."

When he nodded his head I quickly scanned my whole brain for facts and impossible questions and trivia. Then I thought of it.

"What Miss America Pageant winner turned in her tiara on July 23, 1984?" I watched with happyness when his mouth dripped and he started mumbling to himself.

"Yuzu watches those and she got the box set from dad for her...eleventh birthday...think Kurosaki, think...Willis, no. Williams, yes. Truck...no, car...van...Van!" I watched in pure amassment as he corrctly answered the question. "Vanessa Williams."

"Well fuck you." I cursed and swore to answer his question correctly.

"Come on sweetheart, take a breather and see if you can answer this, it's an easy one. What is the name of Doc Brown's dog in the movie "Back to the Future"?" He smirked infuriatingly and thought before realizing I hadn't even seen the movie.

"How should I know? I've never even seen the thing!" I cried throwing my hands up in a huff. "Rocky"

"No."

"Buddy."

"Nada."

"Doctor Junior."

"Hell to the no! It's Einstein! And what do you mean you have never seen the movies? What did you do as a kid?" He laughed bit stopped when he realized I was serious. "No way, you have to had seen it."

I shook my head and hugged a couch cushion to my stomach in embarrassment. He was silent for a few seconds before standing up and grabbing his coat off the hanger.

"Where do you think you're going, it's just a movie! Don't get so worked up about it!" I called but it was to late, he had already walked out the door.

I raced to the window to watched him in his old raincoat trudge thought the sludgy roads and into town. What was wrong with him? I padded dazedly into the kitchen to get a glass of water. That boy needs to see a therapist.

I thought about his behavior for a while and watched a cartoon for the rest of the while, still keeping an ear open to hear the tale tell signs of a person coming down the beach. The rain continued to hammer on the metal rooftop and the panes of the windows glass.

Just when I had stoop up to go find him, the front door opened and his hunched shoulders came into view followed by a small plastic bag that swung at his hip.

"What were you thinking!" I yelled and raced over to help him out of the socking coat and shirt. "You could have gotten hurt out there you idiot!"

"I know you're in a hurry to undress me, but can it wait till we get done with the movies?" He asked, a lopsided grin plastered over his damp face. He pulled a handful of DVDs out of the bag and I could see that Back to the Future was on every one.

"So this is what you were up to, you numbskull. I don't even really want to see them. And I just didn't want you to catch a cold because then I would have to take care of you." I said, getting all my thoughts out in a single breath.

"Sit down. Watch. I'm making popcorn and going to sleep on my new bed." He smirked and I listened to his wet socks making a trail on the hardwood and the tile. They made a splash as he tossed his jeans and shirt into the bathtub. I screamed at him to put some pants on which he responded to by throwing a soaking wet sock at my face.

The bed creaked telling me he was commencing the nap portion of his plan. I slid the first DVD into the dusty player, getting worried when it started to make a funny grinding noise.

"That happens." Ichigo muttered from behind me and I jumped, hitting my head on the top of the entertainment center.

"I thought you were napping." I accused and he just smiled before pulling a bowl of popcorn from behind his back and setting it on the table It was almost bigger than me.

"Trust me, you'll need it."

Ichigo was right. I finished the whole bowl halfway though the second movie and when I ran to the kitchen to get more, I was constantly peeking out of the door so I could still see the screen. When the small wall clock chimed at three in the morning I reluctantly turned off the movie and shuffled to the bathroom to clean myself up before bed.

When I padded back out to the living room it looked uninviting with the large curtains casting long shadows over the wooden floor and the heavy leather textured couch seemed to have shrunk in size. I gave up with a huff.

I tiptoed into the bedroom, Ichigo's light snores were the only sound save the ticking of the bedside clock. I dug around in my bag for some of my own clothing, his shirt was not going it do and my chafing swimsuit would not suffice as pjs. I glanced up at the sleeping man, making sure his back was to me before I dared to take the sweater off. I picked up four articles of clothing i hoped were my pajamas and was getting ready to head into the bathroom to change.

I held back a scream as an unexpected flash of lighting shocked me enough to drop my hands and let my stuff fall to the ground somewhere around the door. I quickly fell to the floor to try and find it. Up in the bed, Ichigo rolled around.

When my hand caught the bottom of something I picked it up and anything else I could find before shuffling to the bathroom, hoping not to stub my toes on anything.

When I finally shut the door, the lights refused to work and I had to put on the clothing on from feel alone. I turned the cloth over in my hands a few times.

"These feel like pants- nope nope those are most positively a shirt. To small to be a pair of pants. Underwear! Thank the lord!" I mock whispered, tugging on the undergarments and only falling onto my butt twice. The chilled tile was really cold.

Next were the shorts. I tugged on the material, trying to find the leg holes. When I finally got it how I thought it should go, I slipped in on and moved onto the shirt.

"Dang, no bra." I sighed, digging around in the pile of remaining stuff. I noticed I had accidentally grabbed a few of Ichigo's band t-shirts but had already pushed them to the side.

Eventually I got everything in order and carefully made my way to the bed and checked to make sure that he was under the covers before jumping up. We couldn't touch if I just slept on top of the duvet with the blanket from the couch.

I drifted off to sleep with the booming of the thunderstorm raging outside and the soft rhythmic snoring of the man beside me.

**Extra long! It took most of the day, three waffles, two cookies and one ruined diet but hey, it's out!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

I clomped around in the thick sand and squealed when a bright red crab popped up right where I was going to plant my foot. I fell backwards and if Ichigo wasn't there to catch me, I might have dropped the twenty pounds of crap I was forced to bring along by Orihime.

Speaking of the bubbly woman, I watched as she built a beautifully crafted sandcastle while her husband flipped paddies on the grill. She waved franticly when she spotted us.

Yoruichi bounced up and down and yelled a hello across the crowded beach. Many men looked up only to quickly look back down as to insure their wives never saw them looking at the busty woman. Ichigo would constantly lean down and whisper jokes into my ear, pointing out funny people or things going on around the beach. I would have to pat his shoulder to get him to tilt his head downward enough for me to tell him what I saw. Kisuke thought this was the funniest thing and told his wife to take lots of pictures.

When we finally made it to the spot, I spread out two towels, one a bright purple the other a darker brown, before planting the huge beach umbrella into the sand. After Ichigo used his macho manly arms to make sure my huge umbrella stayed up, I shimmed under the cover and sat back.

"Don't you like the sun Rukia?" Orihime asked, spinning around to look at me.

"Its more like the sun doesn't like me." I replied, pulling a book out of my bag. The cover was covered with printed blood spatter and the bold words read 'Murder, She Wrote.'

"What's the book about?" Yoruichi asked, rubbing tanning oil over her already dark skin. I think she did it more for Kisuke than anyone. She also attracted other males on the beach which prompted many wives to smack them with their People magazines.

"So this woman is killed with two different guns and in her blood the murder writes a word but it doesn't make any sense, the word that is-" before I could go on, Ichigo reached over me to dig into the cooler for the bag of grapes I buried under the ice.

"There were two murders but one of them shot her after she was dead, thinking she was still alive. The word was unfinished because the fist murderer heard the second coming in from the window." He said, all while examining a grape before popping it in his mouth.

"Oh, and how did you come up with that theory? And what window?!" I cried in outrage. He smirked and tossed a grape into my gaping schism of a mouth. I started choking before I finally chewed the thing.

"I read the book. The window is mentioned in chapter 9." He smirked and all the others had long since gone back to what ever they were doing but I was angry now.

"You can't just tell someone the ending of the book!" I yelled, attracting some attention from the neighboring people.

"Take a chill pill. It's just the resolution. It's the climax that really gets ya." He explained, handing my book back and winking at me. I could feel my frown deepening.

"Hey Orihime, wanna go swimming?" I asked, my tone tight and my eyes never leaving his. I can hear her squeal a yes and I stand up to slip out of my cover up. The pretty golden dress piled at my feet and I could hear his intake of breath. I could feel a blush light up my cheeks.

"Oh shut it." I whispered and I noticed no one noticed our exchange and was happy at least I could avoid a good teasing. I knew it would be a bad idea to wear a bikini, I just had though that my other conservative swimsuit just wouldn't cut it when it came to my other women friends. Apparently not.

I tried to shove the bubbly feeling of being pretty down into the lock box of my heart labeled 'Don't touch with ten foot pole'.

I walked along with Orihime down to the beach and stuck a foot in. She let out a high pitch scream before scuttling back to the warm sand. I didn't run right in like she did. I had been taught that if you go in slowly, the water was never really cold.

"Come on! It's just cold because of all the rain yesterday. You have to get used to it!" I called over my shoulder and shuffled in a little deeper, the sand tickling my toes. When I got about to mid calf I heard Orihime call out.

"Watch out Rukia!" Before I could so much as turn around to watch out for anything, strong tanned arms wrapped around me and picked me up. Ichigo shuffled into the deeper water, hissing at its chill.

I had curled my legs around his shoulders and grabbed his head for dear life. I could hear the snapping of cameras from behind us and I wanted to hit him out of irritation.

"Put me down, put me down, putmedown!" I yelled, kicking at his arm while still holding on for dear life. My fingers dug into his scalp and I yelped when my foot touched the water.

"Come on sweetheart, go swimming with me." He whispered into the curve of my neck and a shiver raced its way up my spine. "If you won't go in willingly, than I guess we will have to go together!"

His voice got louder and the crowed watching us started cheering. I flipped them the bird. I watched Orihime giggling from the beach and Kisuke was rubbing his wife's back while also sending Ichigo a thumbs up. A few in the mass started the cheer of "Kiss, kiss, kiss!"

"This is for making me come out here today." He lifted me up and no matter how hard I clung to his stupid head he was still stronger. I cried that I was sorry but he just smirked, a sly clever little tilt of his mouth, and that made me angry.

I grabbed his face between my hands and planted a kiss smack dab in the middle of his lips. He was so surprised that he fell backwards, taking me down with him. Even from under water we could hear the applause.

I let out a silent scream at the chill and when my head broke the surface I let out all the curse words I could think of. Ichigo popped up a little while later, his cheeks a blinding red and his signature frown was securely in place.

"We I guess you had better say you're sorry-" My speech was cut short when I noticed he was swimming towards me. I kicked backwards and brought my feet to the surface to splash water into his face. When I finally stopped I looked around franticly for his bright orange hair.

I looked down to my feet only to see his brown eyes peering up at me. Before I can even scream he grabs my ankle and drags me down. I lock my mouth and blink a few times to clear my vision.

When I can finally see again I let out a shocked stream of bubbles. Ichigo is shockingly close, towering over me and that infuriating smirk plastered his face.

He mouths words and I scrunch my eyebrows together and shake my head, telling him that I don't understand. We both sink to the bottom, only about seven feet, and give a great kick, sending us upwards. When I broke the surface I took in huge gulps of air.

"What did you...say?" I asked, panting heavily. He smirked and leaned in really close. At first I thought that he was trying to kiss me, but that idea went in one ear and out the next when he passed up my lips for my ear.

"Don't think I will let this slip. One day soon you will find yourself the victim of a terrible revenge situation and you will wish that you hadn't crossed me." He whispered but I could hear the laughing tilt to his voice and the crinkle at his eye that told me he was not longer smirking, but full on smiling. I grabbed the side of his neck to give me enough leverage to reach his ear.

"And after that day I will make you regret ever wanting revenge on the mighty Rukia!" I added and was rewarded with a chuckle, one that made his whole body vibrate and his warm breath to tickle the juncture of my shoulder and neck.

He grabbed my legs and lifted me back into his arms. I was to cold to protest. He slowly walked onto the beach and the couples laughed as we passed.

"I hate you." I muttered as one man went as far as to catcall. I really hoped that people would stop looking at me, it was making my skin crawl.

"No you don't."

When he plopped me down on my beach towel I unwound my hands from his hair and slid down till I could shimmy onto the towel.

My lips continued to tingle throughout the day.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

I sat up on the bed and stretched, my toes curling and my wrist twisting. The morning light streamed through the French doors wispy curtains and poured onto my legs.

When I was happy with how taunt my body was, I relaxed, running a hand through my hair and scratching an itch on my leg before rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"I don't think I've had this many consecutive hangovers in a row since college..." Ichigo muttered, his face buried into the pillow on the opposing side of the bed. I had let him crash there because the couch looked horrid even to a drunken mind coming back from a beach rave.

"Blame the clients!" I called while padding into the kitchen and looking into the fridge. I signed when only line after line of beer greeted me. "Why do we only have beer?"

"I don't know."

"Did you do the dishes, I need a glass."

"I don't know."

"What do you know?"

"I know that I don't know."

I ignored his snarky reply and picked around in the sink for a semi-clean cup. I found two, gave them a quick rinse, and filled them with tap water.

I sat them gently on the nightstand and waited till Ichigo came out of the bathroom with the Advil pills and we clinked our glasses together before throwing them back like we did the many shots the night before.

"Good god, this vacation will be the death of me!" I cried and fell back on the bed. Ichigo follows not long after, also throwing his arm out so at it would land on my stomach. I let out a grunt. "Do we have any plans for today or can I go back to sleep?"

"Yoruichi wants us to go to that bohemian dance-y thing tonight at...seven I think, but until then, let us wear off this hangover with naps." He murmured, turning his head to the side and into the pillow. The loud sound of a cell phone going off was annoying and we both cracked an eye open. "Is that yours?"

"No it's not mine... It sounds like..." We both froze, looking at each other with wide eyes.

"The office phone." We both said at the same time.

We jump off the bed and tore into our luggage, pulling out dresses and suits, panties and boxers, women's toiletries and men's shaving cream kits. All of these said things were flying around the room while we riped it apart.

When Ichigo's hand shot up triumphant with the small silver devise in his grasp, I snatched it and quickly hit the talk button, putting it on speaker phone in the prosses.

"Hello?" I asked timidly. The Commanders voice boomed out of the other side.

"Hello. I need a progress report." He was harsh and right to the point.

"Its going good sir, they have looked into the business and even asked our opinions on it. They seem to be interested." We looked at each other and crossed our fingers.

"Good, which one of you has been doing the best work?" He seemed slightly interested in the answer.

We both shrugged our shoulders and nodded our heads. He tried to mouth something but I just made shooing gestures at the phone. I was so confused. Time to pull out my renowned acting skills.

"Its still unclear sir, I think it will take a little more time to determine the outcome." I lied smoothly into the phone and I could hear I slight chuckle in the microphone before the Chief hung up.

We both collapsed into a pile of raw nerves on a pile of scattered clothing.

"Well, on the bright side, all of our outfit options for tonight are set out." Ichigo joked, motioning to the strewn pieces of fabric.

"I'm going to wear that-" I gestured to the short brown skirt "-and that shirt, the one with the belt."

He nodded and pointed to the green sandles dangling from the headboard and I let out a laugh. Even with the pounding behind my skull, I could still manage to crack a joke about his fashion skills which made him give me a smirk.

We both reclined on the piles shirts and shorts, letting the open window above the bed let in a nice breeze as we just sat back and let the dull ache of our bones slowly fade.

It was two in the afternoon before we both got the resolve to stand up and get something to eat. We kicked loose articles of clothing out of the way to make a path of sorts to the kitchen.

"I can make a mean omelette." Ichigo said when he finished examining the few things in the fridge behind all the half drank bottles of liquor from the numerous get togethers we'd had.

"You? Cook? I don't think so." I responded, laying my head down onto the cold countertops of the breakfast bar. He shot a glare over his shoulder and I held eye contact till he sighed and grabbed the needed ingredients. "So who taught you to cook?"

He seemed a little taken back by my question and his only response was to smack my hand when I grabbed a strip of ham from his pile of needed things.

"My mom." He whispered after a while and I tilted my head to the side so I could get a better look at his face. A delicate smile graced his lips and made him look almost handsome. "She thought that a man should not be a burden to a woman, and as such, she taut me how to cook."

"Really? She sounds nice." I murmured absentmindedly. I had seen Ichigo's father a few times when he stopped by the office to drop something or other off, but I couldn't remember seeing a woman visiting. I wondered if her hair was the same obnoxious color as his was.

"She was." His voice dropped and so did the smile. I was sorry to see it go. "She passed away when I was young...what about you?"

"About me what?" I knew what he was asking and the anger and resentment for my faceless parents bubbled back to the surface. He told me his deep dark secret, now I guess it was my turn. "My parents...left. I was adopted by my brother and raised in his care. I had a great childhood."

"Brunch is served!" He laughed and let out a string of French words that made it sound like he was complementing me.

"You speak French?" I asked, hoping up to grab a fork for us both before sitting back down to interrogate him. He seemed a little flustered, like he hadn't meant to say those words.

"A little. I heard through the grape vine you are well versed as well." He changed the subject flawlessly and cut off a chunk of egg before popping it in his mouth and chewing.

"Spanish, Greek, and bits of Latin." I flaunted and he choked on a laugh. His hand went to his mouth to try and cover the smile that pulled at his lips. "What is so funny?"

"I should have known that pretentious brother of yours would want you to be so well rounded you knew parts of a dead language." I sighed and took my first bite of my omelette. Now it was my turn to be shocked.

"This is pretty good, your mom taught you well young one!" I joked, finishing off the meal in record time.

FFYF

Orihime twisted her hips around to give me the full view of how swishy her gown really was. The sheer green fabric was fitted but the dress itself was very conservative, with light green lace climbing up her neck. She looked amazing, so I told her so.

"You look amazing!" I gushed and played around with the loose sleeve of my shirt. I felt out of place with all of these pretty people.

"Thanks! Uryū made it for me!" She confided and fluttered around a bit more to see the skirt frill outwards.

"He made it?" I questioned shooting a glance back at the three men sitting at the table taking about something or other while sipping at their beers. We were waiting on Yoruichi to finish up with her makeup. Just as the thought crossed my mind, the bathroom door was thrown open and she strutted out with a look of pure impudence.

"I'm ready but when is Rukia going to change?" She asked, leaning on the doorframe. My eyes went down to my outfit and then back up to her.

"What's wrong with it?" I demanded, planting my hands on my hips and glaring at her. She just rolled her eyes and sighed before picking at her fingernails and answering my question.

"You look like a hippie threw up on you." Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. Suddenly, Yoruichi perked up and raced over to me and grabbed my wrists. "But its good you have me, don't you think!"

She ran with me in tow to the front door. She threw it open and called out to the boys from over her shoulder. Something along the lines of meet you there. She jumped into the Jeep and stepped on the gas, causing the loose rocks to go spinning off in different directions.

Yoruichi was like a tornado, tugging me and a stowaway Orihime up the steps and into her cabin. Everything was pristine and put together and was nicely decorated. She had hand blown glass vases, the colors swirling together in strange patterns and designs. From the posh living room I could hear her ransacking her closet till a victorious cry echoed through the cabin and Yoruichi ran up to me, beautiful blue fabric billowing out behind her.

"This is perfect! I can't wear it because I have boobs, but you don't, so this just might work!" I let the joke slide seeming as I was in love with the dress she was holding. The light blue had speckles of other colors mixed in with it and made the whole thing seem to flow.

She laughed uncontrolably and pushed the thing into my hands before shoving me into her room and slamming the door. I sighed and quickly changed, enjoying the feeling of the silky fabric.

The dress was slightly strange in that it started mid thigh in the front and slowly dipped down to my knees in the back. The top part of the dress was drape-y and loose, pretty green clips held them together and I spun around a few times. It was around then that I could hear the grumble of men clomping up the stairs.

"Rukia looked fine, I don't know why she had to change for a-" His sentence was cut off when he looked up and saw me in the dress. I smirked and grabbed my green sandals from the foyer before strutting out to the Jeep. Now I know how Yoruichi felt; being pretty was fun.

FFYF

The atmosphere was light and the music that ghosted over everything just added to the carefree feel. A huge dance floor had been build over the sand and many couples had already claimed the floor. The band was constructed of two drummers, a few base celo's, a ton of violins, and one very pretty girl with a tambourine.

No tables were set up but small platforms rested, half buried in the sand surrounding the stage. Most people had cars parked close to the dance floor and sat in them, some had big blankets and a few even had folding chairs and tables. Snacks were being distrabuted by cute men and woman wearing little outfits. When the song ended and a new one began, I noticed something. A small group in front of the band was doing a dance that looked almost like...

"Yori, I thought you said 'Bohemian' this sounds and looks almost...Irish. And I think those people are riverdancing." I asked and she just scoffed and threw her arms up in the air before hightailing it to the dance floor, her willing husband in tow.

"I feel like I need a pair of clogs." Ichigo joked and I smacked my hands over my mouth to stop the giggles. The movements of their feet was fun to watch and reminded me of when-

"I want to watch the band play!" Orihime called and Uryū agreed.

"Wait, we will come with!" Ichigo called and I was about to halfheartidly agree but Orihime just shook her head and pointed to the Riverdancers.

"Can't you see how Rukia's looking at them, take her over there!" She scolded and I could see a slight blush tint Ichigo's tanned cheeks. He spun around and I followed after him, poking at his stomach till he swatted me away.

When we finally pushed our way through the throngs of people, we weren't the only ones that watched with awe at the speed their feet flew.

"Do you know how to dance like this?" Ichigo asked and I jumped, glancing up at him wide eyed like a deer in the headlights.

"Why would you ask that?" Even to my own ears it sounded small and had a weird tilt to it.

"You're tapping." He laughed and pointed down to my feet. I quickly stopped my heel from slapping at the hardwood floor and smacked Ichigo's arm for pointing it out.

"Why are you so angry?" He seemed to realize it was a harsh subject and was about to drop it when he must have though of something. I let out a sigh to let him now he was right. "It was something you did with your sister, right. I saw a picture on your brothers desk once."

"Before the sickness caused her to become weak. She was the best, she could dance so beautifully. She taught me." I smiled a bit, thinking back to the times before the sickness ate away at her body and left her a shell of her former self. I shook my head to clear those dreary thoughts.

"Look at that." Ichigo pointed to a big poster stood up on an easel. The words read 'Dance Your Way to Ireland!' The instructions were stenciled in below. We scanned over them and I noticed the bulletin pasted to the bottom that stated that the winner would be announced the following day in the islands newspaper. "Hey Rukia, wanna win a trip to Ireland?"

"What the hell? No, besides we have to beat the dancers-" She gestured to the troop of Riverdancers. "-and if you haven't noticed, they are really good!"

"You said it yourself, your sister was better, and if you leaned from the best..." He pointed at my feet and I swatted at his hand.

"You could easily pay for a trip to Ireland with the paycheck you get, so why do you want to win this trip. If it is a good enough reason, then I might consider it-" I brought my hand up to shush him before he could start begging. "-but only if you move me."

"Its just that...well you see..." He muttered, rubbing his neck nervously before finally sighing and giving in. "My sister wanted to go to is fancy cooking school and in order to get in, she needed to fly out the the academy and get an acceptance letter baced on her cooking skills. I tried to get her to let me pay for it, but she refused, so if I was to win them-"

"She would have to accept them." I could feel the twisting in my gut. It had been years since I had danced. "I'll give you points for the gut retching part. You did move me to tears. But if you haven't forgotten, its a couple thing and you can't Riverdance."

"What makes you think that?" He asked, quoting me with a sly smirk. "Every summer we would spend two months in Ireland visiting my dads old friends. Not much to do there but go to dances and I may have picked up a few moves."

"Don't smirk at me like that you manipulative little bastard." I scoffed and felt my heart melting a little at his bright brown eyes. "Fine. BTW, the only reason I'm doing this is because I saw Missy signing her name in the signup us up but so help me if you can't dance-"

"Take it down a notch Princess. I can show you all my moves if you want." I was shocked by how forward he was. I blamed the raging testosterone in his completely male brain.

It was half an hour before the contest started. Most of the participants were couples who were far to drunk to notice they were making fools of themselves (Yoruichi and Kisuke fell into this category) or two people running around smacking the borrowed black shoes onto the floor.

"So we are just going to wing it and hope we win?" I asked, trying it get down the game plan. When I looked up and saw his wide smile I couldn't help but laugh. He looked like a child in a candy shop.

We were third to last, most of the dancers had already gone, putting on a riveting performance that made my stomach churn. Well if we utterly failed, at least it was on an island filled with drunk rich people.

Right before us was Ichigo's Stalker as I've taken to calling her. Missy strutted her way up on stage with a man on her arm and bedazzled rhinestones on her shoes.

"Good god, I think that she is dancing with one of the troops men." I noticed and sure enough, the group was missing a male dancer. "That bitch!"

"Whoa, what crab crawled up your panties?" He asked, wanting to knew why I was suddenly so angry.

"Its your fault, I'm emotionally invested now!" I huffed and puffed till she finished her little strip tease and shimmy down the stairs past Ichigo and I. She had whipped the crowded into a frenzy.

"Lets pretend that she was horrible. Its our turn." Ichigo gestured to the floor and I planted my hands on my hips before walking up to the small circle in the middle of the stage and waiting for the music to start.

I jumped when Ichigo's warm hands settled on my hips. He whispered the word 'relax' in my ear and other things that stopped me from hyperventilating. I don't like people watching me.

I felt a little better when I noticed that a few woman looked on in envy at my dress.

The music started and we were off.

The pounding of the drums and the stings and notes of the violin started a tap in my feet that I had forgotten was there. Ichigo pushed me forward and I let out a kick, higher an I remember I used to do.

It brought back memories and I started to smile. Ichigo came up beside me and started his own rhythm. It threw off my counter and I had to start over.

He placed one hand behind his back and the other over his mouth as if he was yawning at my performance. I clacked quickly, moving just like I had been taught all those years ago and when I was in place I kicked, my black shoe coming precariously close to his face. When it landed the crowed laughed. Ichigo cracked a smile.

He reached out and grabbed my hand and we started harmonizing, looking at each others feet and counting each others steps. It was the most fun I'd had in a while.

He spun me out and and I jumped before raising my hands and clapping out the beat. The couples clapped along and the violinists were even smiling.

Ichigo tapped a circle around me while I clapped, joining in every third note. I swear I could hear some girls swoon.

He didn't jump, it just wasn't Ichigo, instead he was doing things never seen in traditional riverdancing. He did a flip and I had to stop for a second to gather my wits before I noticed that the song was reaching its crescendo. We had to win this for Ichigo's sister.

I noticed that he had crouch into a sort of position and because the rules stated you had to be tapping at all times, he had stuck his foot out behind him and was bring the toe of his boot down to the ground every other note.

Then I got it.

"The hell if you think you are going to throw me up into the air!" I yelled, my hands planted on my hips and tapped the heel of my boot so as not to be disqualified. The couples were looking on with humor and I even spotted Orihime and Uryū cheering form the sidelines.

"How bad do you want to kick Missy's ass?" He was smirking, already knowing what I would do. Time to play the art of surprise.

I threw my head back in defeat and the crowd took is as an opportunity to cheer, knowing I was going to throw myself into the air with the man, who they thought, I was married to. I started running.

Ichigo got closer and closer and at the last second instead of kicking upward allowing him to catch me, I slipped into his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck and curled my legs around his waist before I kissed his nose.

"Kick Missy's ass!" I mock whispered over all the cheering. I threw my head back in a laugh as I climbed off my fake coworker husband. "Hell, I'm going to be so sore in the morning. We had better have won or I will be pissed."

Ichigo was in high spirits for the rest of the night. We had people coming up and asking our names and where we were staying. Ichigo was asked to sign a girls chest. Her husband asked for me to sign his.

When we finally shuffled back into our cabin, all traces of life were sucked from us. We crashed on the bed and the only thing I did was kick off my sandals and toss my earrings onto the bedside table. I could hear Ichigo's shirt fly over my head and land in the pile of his dirty clothing.

"Goodnight Mr. Ballerina."

"Night night Miss Pixie."

**Enjoy the double update. R&R **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.**

We sat at the front stoop waiting for the small little paper boy to ride by on his red bike. Ichigo was making coffee and I was relaxing on one of the huge lounge chairs I had dragged from the back porch. I could hear the coffee machine sputter and Ichigo's curse.

"Drink it." He muttered darkly and shoved my fishy mug into my hands. I wrapped my fingers around the porcelain and took a sip.

"Is this Kool-Aid?" I asked, swishing the pink lemonade around in the cup. He smirked from his spot on his matching chair. We raised our mismatched glasses and clinked them together, watching as the people milled around the beach and the town.

When the black haired kid swerved around the corner we pushed our cups onto the handrail and raced over to the poor boy. Ichigo cleared the steps in a single bound, I clumped down them like a madwoman. He raced ahead and stopped the boy with a flourish of his abnormally huge hand. The boy slid to a stop, gravel flying into the air.

"We need a paper!" I called, only a few feet away from the pair. The kid looked frightened and handed us the rolled newspaper with a trembling hand? Ichigo grabbed it and tossed a few crumpled dollar bills into his hand. Wen the boy tried to explain the paper was free Ichigo batted his hand and flipped through the pages.

I grabbed half the paper and practically ripped the articles apart one by one till I found it back in the entertainment section. I let out a squeal at our names printed in black ink, the instructions about how to redeem our price were underlined beneath the picture.

"We won!" I threw my hands up and started dancing around Ichigo with out of date dance moves. "I kicked Missy's butt! I kicked Missy's butt, who kicked Missy's butt? That's right, it was me!"

"I gotta call my sister!" He cheered and I was rewarded with a genuine smile. Sure, he smirked sometimes but he smiled, truly smiled, very rarely.

"Wait! I wanna do it!" I called at his retreating back and he just shook his head and sprinted inside with me hot on his heels. We pushed and shoved till we reached the bedroom. I pulled at his hair and he tugged at my shirt.

"Where is my phone?" He called, his eyes scanning over the room while still holding me back by the scruff of my borrowed t-shirt. I squirmed till he let go of me. I rocked on the balls of my feet till he looked away before sprinting to the far side of the bed were I had plugged his phone in last night. He chased after me and grabbed my feet, dragging me out before trying to pick the phone from my fingers. I kicked my feet out and he grabbed them and used his legs to pin my lower body down.

I clutched the cell to my chest with one hand and pushed at him with the other. He just laughed and batted my hand away. I reached my hand holding the phone as far over my head as it could go. One of his hands was splayed on the carpet besides my head and so I elbowed the crook of his arm, making his only way of supporting himself come crashing down on top of me.

"We'll I sure hope we arn't interrupting anything?" Yoruichi singsonged from the living room. Her perfectly manicured nails clutched her purse and her violet dress shimmered as she cocked her hips.

"We won." Was the only thing I could thing of at the time and I watched as the intruders lips tugged up into a coy smile.

"I'm sure you did win." She let out a laugh and realized what we probably looked like to an outsider.

Ichigo had his legs locked around my hips with the intention to stop there movement but I more I looked the more I noticed it almost looked like a lovers embrace. Be both came to the conclusion at the same time, causing me to army craw out from under him while he jumped back only or hit his head on the nearby dresser.

"Don't you dare start assuming things Yoruichi!" I called kicking at Ichigo's hands and racing to follow her retreating ponytail.

"So. We all know what you did is morning, wanna hear what I did?" She cooed, sitting daintily on one of the breakfast bars stools. Her perfectly painted nails taped lightly to the side of her face while she talked and made me want to smack her.

"I don't know, do I?" I poured two cups of lemonade and snorted when she pulled a flask from her purse and spiked her drink. She just gave me the 'Its-Six-O'clock-Somewhere' look and took a swig for good measure.

"So after a particularly fantastic round of morning-" I held up my hand to stop her and she just smiled coyly. "Don't shush me girl, I saw what you two were doing in there and don't give me that 'It wasn't was it looked like' crap! Any-who back to my story. I walked outside and a scantly clad woman asked us if we knew you. I told her we did and she asked me to give this too you."

"Pissy." I mumbled under breath as I sipped at the lemonade. "What was it?"

"An invite to the street fair tonight. Funny thing though, the one with your name on it was a fake." She eyed me up over her rim before sighing when I didn't explain. "Don't leave me hanging here, tell me why she hates you."

"She dated Ichigo and now is a clingy self-centered bitch." I rushed out all in one breath. Yoruichi threw her head back to laugh right about the time Ichigo bust from the bedroom with a red face and a need to shove his face in the fridge to search for a beer.

"What's gotten into you?" I asked before placing my hands on the counter and pushing myself up onto the cold granite.

"Him and his sex talk!" Ichigo pointed an accusatory finger at the man hiding behind his wife and fan. Ichigo ran a nervous hand over his scruffy chin and reminded me I would need to pick up more razors in town that night.

"Hey Mr. Beard, we got invited to the street party. Well you got a ticket, I'm your plus one." He peered curiously at me over his beer bottle before nodding his head and padding into the bathroom. When I was sure he had locked the door I racing into the room and grabbed the silver phone from the pile of clothing.

I scrolled through his contacts till I found the picture of the girl. He had pictures cluttered up on his dest from his sisters. I pressed the little green call button and pressed it eagerly to my ear.

"Ichi!" A perky voice squealed over the line and I had to stop the giggle that was bubbling up in my throat.

"Sorry, this is actually his business partner. Are you Ichigo's sister?" I could hear her bated breath over the phone and her hesitated little yes through the speakers. "We'll we are working on a project together and won a trip. I told him I didn't need it and thought that since he told me you needed to get somewhere, you might want them-"

Her scream bounced around in my head and made Yoruichi jump from in the kitchen. Her syllables were slurred with excitement. I went into detail about the facts of the trip from the paper and I could hear her sniffling from over the line.

"Thank you. Do I even know your name?" I could hear her holding back tears from the speakers.

"My name is Rukia." She thanked me a few more times before I convinced her to hang up to tell her father the good news. I screamed at the closed bathroom door. "Ichigo! I called your sister! She is so nice, did she get all the goodness in your gene pool?"

His scrambling to get out of the shower and the thunk he made were both not as funny as the picture of him popping his head from the bathroom, his eyes wide and his hair wild. My smile vanished when I noticed that he only wore a towel.

"You did what?" He asked, tightening the wrap around his waist.

"I'm not going to tell you till you put something on." He sighed and made a spinning motion with his finger while I detailed my meeting with his sister. He snorted in a few parts.

FFYF

I strolled leisurely threw the square, my sun dress blowing lightly with the slight breeze. Ichigo was equally relaxed, his hands were tucked into his jean pockets and a slight smile pulled at e corner of his mouth.

The many street shops had pushed their wares to the front of their booths, vivid colored fruit, plush clothing, and complex trinkets littered the block. Handmade mask were stacked by the dozen on each stand, and the owners incur aged the tourist to take one. Many of the small, family-run restaurants wafted out aromas that made me want supper at five.

I had picked out Ichigo's mask, a pure white porcelain with three brightly red strips. It rested lightly in his still wet hair. All night I had been on the look out for Pissy. I had spotted her once, trying to tug her scantly clad body out of a mans hummer. I pulled Ichigo to the next stand before she could spot up with her creepy stalker hawk eyes.

The road was lined with happy people smiling and laughing while finding things for their loved ones so when Pissy purposely bumped into us on "accident", I couldn't hold back a snort.

The man at her side had a very porcine face with a wide nose and small beady eyes that seemed to watch my every move. She introduced him as a investor for the island.

With the sun setting we easily slipped away from the pair with the receding sunlight. Some of the natives came out and started dancing the traditional dances. A woman snatched Ichigo's hand and spun him around a few times, moving her hands to the rhythm of the drum beat.

I pointed my finger and laughed when he attempted to imitate her but stopped when a thick man shimmied up to me and pushed me into the circle with the dancers. It was Ichigo's turn to snicker. I followed suit and did something that looked like the drunk version of the Macarena.

I knew that the peel of laughter I let out wouldn't help things but before I knew it, most of the natives had cleared the street and were quickly replaced by couples imitating our chicken squabbles.

When we finally pushed our way out of the mass of bodies, we were both breathing heavy and smiling.

FFYF

We collapsed onto the couch in a heap and let out a collective sigh. The rest of the night was spent running from Creepy Ex and eating anything we could get our hands on.

Ichigo's mask clattered into the side table as mine made a solid thunk when I tossed it onto the pillow on the ground. My mask was found hidden under a stack of paper hats and tin pencil holders but according to Ichigo, fit me perfectly. It was some kinda fox thing. Ichigo sighed again and started talking.

"We'll tonight went good."

"Shut up."

**This chapter is LATE and not CHECKED. Sorry.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

Day 9

"The other way."

"What?" I questioned, flipping the golf club around till Ichigo sighed and placed it in the correct position in my hands. "Oh!"

"Now its simple, you hit the ball down the short grass. Can you handle that?" I threw a glare over my shoulder as I walked up to the red pegs and placed the tee into the soft soil.

The glove on my left hand needed to be pulled up a few times and by the time I had readjusted my shirt for the third time, Ichigo let his head roll to the side so he could let out an obnoxiously loud sigh.

"Do you have something to say to me?" I asked, cocking my hip and tossing the metal club over my shoulder.

"Just hit the damn ball!" He threw his hands out in exasperation.

I huffed in annoyance and went back to my ball. I cranked my arm back and drove the head of the driver forward, smiling when they connected and a resonating ping shot up my arm.

"How was that?" I licked my lips and watched his reaction. He raised his hand to his brow to block the sun and I followed his lead, not really knowing were to look.

"I think a hole in one."

"Really?!"

"No dumbass, you're in the weeds over there." He pointed to a ditch, weeds popping up from the middle.

I didn't think his cocky comment deserved a reply to instead I shoved the useless metal stick into the bag and sat down in the golf cart. I stepped on the gas before Ichigo could get on before stopping a few feet forward. I continued till we reached my ball.

"How do I hit that?" My shot had landed in a pile of folded cat tails and I knew that if I couldn't hit a ball on level ground, I had no chance from an uneven terrain.

"Just pick it up!" He demanded.

"No!" I responded.

"Why?" One of his arms gripped the wheel a little tighter while the other tapped repeatedly on the back of the conjoining seats.

"Its the principal of the thing! I need to do this to restore my honor!" I joked and pulled the cleanest looking club from my bag.

"Well can you restore your honor on the next hole because we have visitors." I peeked around the bumper and noticed the bedazzled cart speeding across the greens in our direction.

"Well honor was alway over rated anyway." I tossed the ball and tip toed my way out of the weedy mess before throwing myself into the pads anger seat. Ichigo's foot slammed on the gas and we flew down the fairway and across another green.

"Which way was the car?" Ichigo demanded over the screeching of gravel.

"Left! I have to say, Little Miss Pissy is really putting a damper on my paid vacation!" He nodded in agreement and did a beautiful turn to park up up next to our Rent-A-Car and the caddy who would take back our cart.

"Get the bags!" I yelled, patting myself down to find the keys. I tugged them out of my back pocket and clicked the Aramaic start button. The sound of wheels spinning gravel was getting closer.

"Got the clubs!" Ichigo yelled, slamming the cars back hatch down with a bag before practically throwing himself into the passenger side door.

We could see the pink cart getting closer and a tanned arm sticking out the side, waving at us franticly. My foot slammed on the gas and our car gave a lurch.

We tore out of the lot, the spinning of loose rocks behind us raining down on the lone cart we spotted in the rear view mirror.

"Holy...I need a beer." Ichigo's back relaxed as we made our way back to the car rental place so we could get back on the boat in time.

"We should change our names and move to Canada."

"I was thinking China but Canada is a good choice too..." He ran his hands up and down his face in annoyance.

"Tell you what, I'm going to do something I don't do often-"

"Take that stick out of your as-"

"-I'm going be nice!" I smacked his arm and flipped my turn signal on before sliding into the drive threw of an ice cream parlor.

After two small swirl cones, a shared blizzard, and dilly bars for the road, we were both stuffed and sick of anything that even looked like a cold and sweet treat.

When we locked the cabins doors that night, we were both laughing.

**Also not checked. It seems inspiration strikes the night before big tests. Enjoy.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

**Be Warned, Kissing!**

Day 10

"I hate painting." Ichigo commented while wiggling his brush around on his canvas, leaving a bright red line over his interpretation of a sailboat. I giggled and watched as he smirked over at me.

"I thought it looked divine." I noted, holding it up to the sky to get a better look at it. It really was hideous.

"Fine, don't let me know that you're a little Da Vinci over here." A snickering Ichigo nicked my painting from the easel it rested upon. He held it away from his face and brought his hand up to his eye and did a little measuring movement artist did to show respect but his just oozed sarcasm.

"Are you two done?" The teacher called, spinning around on her chair to glare at us in the back row. The six other students looked at us like the dunces of the class, I might as well been wearing a cone hat.

"Well that was fun." My fake husband called from the back of the truck where he was loading our art supplies we borrowed from the islands entertainment room. "To bad that woman was such a bad sport."

"I think I would be to if I was called an, and I quote, 'abominable twat.'" I heaved a sigh and put the car into gear, sliding out and pulling forward into traffic. When the pier came into view I noticed that the boat was just about loaded. We returned the car and eagerly climbed on board.

The ride to the resort was relatively boring and silent besides the occasional messages from the Captain about tomorrow's earlier depart time coming over the load speakers.

We awkwardly lugged the paint supplies over the deck and avoided the looks everyone seemed to be shooting us. When finally found a spot large enough for us and our extra baggage, we sat down with a big sigh.

When the boat docked, the innumerable amount of men and woman shuffled onto the docks and made their way up the stairs to the waiting reception people with travel ideas and destinations. We had to hold up our boat passes to get the perky girl with the pigtails to stop throwing pamphlets at us.

Together, we shuffled up the main entrance and into the redecorated halls of the temple slash guest hangout. A rouge couple lounged around the fancy furniture feeding each other grapes. I kicked the REC room door open with my foot like I was Van Damme before scuttling in like a crab, weighted down by the art stuff.

When I opened the door to the closet, it made rusty scratching noise before giving in and opening. The dusty shelves held old board games and unused decks of cards. We gently placed out things inside and as I went to shut the door I noticed something's on the top shelf.

I tugged on his sleeve and flipped the light back on, reaching up on my tip toes to reach the spine of a book on the top of the shelving units. Ichigo let out a sigh, walking into the tight space before reaching to grab the book with a single stretch of his long arms. He gently placed it in my hands. I ran my fingers over the cover a delicately as I could.

I spun around at the sound of the maintenance man opening up his ladder to change the light bulb and I motioned with my head at the man, the signal for 'Get rid of him'. Ichigo just sighed and offered to do it for him. The elderly gentleman scoffed and gave Ichigo the replacement.

"So why do you like that book?" He asked, placing the translucent bulb on the bottom most shelf.

"It was the last thing my sister read to me before she got sick." I muttered, flipping over the binding and looking for damage. When I was satisfied I pushed past him and peeked out the door and looked for anyone outside. A gay couple shot us a few suspicious looks while finishing up a game of Yahtzee but besides them, the room was empty. I grabbed the handle and shut the door.

"If this is your kinky sex thing-" He started but I placed my finger over his mouth to stop him from elaborating on that thought.

"I just want to read this in private." I answered and Ichigo reached up to unscrew the bulb. The lights went out. "Are you going to put the new one in?"

"It's on the bottom shelf, make sure you don't knock it-" There was a loud crash and the sound of shattering glass. "-Off."

"Sorry, just open the door and ask the man for another one." He nodded and rattled the handle. It came off in his hands. I could tell from the defining silence.

At the same time we both started pounding on the door and yelling at the top of our lungs. It seemed we were all alone and our guess was proven when the thin beam of light coming from under the crack in the door went out.

FFYF

"Bloody hell." Ichigo muttered, rubbing his aching neck. The floor space was so small that I was a heartbeat away from sitting in his lap and his long legs were folded around me like a blockade from the invading attack of board game pieces. The heat had since went up with the night coming and the humidity from our breathing.

"I hate ladders." I confided, finally giving in and falling back onto Ichigo's chest. His surprisingly strong stomach stiffed the moment I leaned onto it. I had been sitting up for more than an hour and my back was hurting something fierce. Finally his muscles settled down and unclenched, allowing me a better pillow. I let out a sigh.

I extended my neck back as far as it would go to get a better look at his feelings on my position but as I was about to comment on his tight lipped look, a avalanche of boxed blankets and toys spilled off the top shelf.

Ichigo moved quicker than I thought he could. One second he was under me about to be picked on, the next, leaning over me, pushing the fallen boxes off his back. His eyes never left mine.

Even in almost complete darkness I could see vague outlines of things and him. His bright hair and eyes could be seen even in lowlight.

His breath washed over my lips and I noticed the compromising position we were in. His legs covered mine, one kneeled the other was completely on the ground, his arm was resting above my head. I was shocked to feel attracted to the man I had but two weeks ago, wanted to clobber if he so much as said my name. Now I just wanted him to kiss me.

He seemed to read my mind and when he leaned down, I met him halfway. Our lips connected and I wanted to laugh. I had been kissed before, many times in fact, but never like this. Most were meant to be slow and passionate, others on the quick and furious side. But this, this was different.

It was almost like lightning. Shocking and bright.

His hand reached up to tangle in my hair and I let a small smile brake my lips. My fingers intertwined at the base of his skull, tugging lightly on his stock of bright hair. While his one hand was busy in my hair, his other grabbed my hip. I let out a sigh and it was his turn to laugh. His eyes never left mine as a licked my lips.

The chuckle sent a vibration threw his chest and right into the pooling heat in my belly. I just rolled my eyes and pulled his lips back to mine. He responded by nipping at my lip, telling me to just give in. I was all too willing.

When the kiss deepened I could feel the oxygen starvation in my brain. Everything seemed to be on fire. Ichigo slid a hand under my shirt to the small of my back, pressing his fingers out till they spread almost across my whole waist. He pushed forward and I could feel myself being pressed closer to him.

His legs became sprawled out when he tumbled backwards and I propped myself up with both hands, leaning down and letting my breath ghost over his ear. He chuckled darkly and for once, I felt proud of myself.

The feeling soon evaporated when both his hands grasped my thighs and spun me around, swiping positions. I growled in annoyance and Ichigo copied my earlier actions and leaned down but to whisper in my ear.

"So you're a growler?" He questioned, slowly kissing downward from the shell of my ear down to the juncture of my throat. He bit me and before I could knock him on the head, his tongue smoothed the skin over and I was left feeling uncertain if we were even in the same league. I decided it was time to step it up a notch, might as well completely destroy our work partners only relationship anyway.

"If you wanna know what I sound like-" I wrapped my legs around his waist and listened to his sharp intake of breath. "-You're going to have to do better than _that_."

"I thought you'd never ask." His deep voice seemed to have taken on a husky quality as he reached for my waist to pick me up while simultaneously keeping our lips locked. He shot an arm out and brushed the old games off part of the shelf, making enough room for my bottom. I tugged his shirt over his head and the fabric made a satisfying whoosh when it hit the ground. His tanned completion couldn't be seen but I could imagine how the thick cords of muscles under my fingers were flexing and tightening in my mind. His hands were rubbing my sides, up and down, up and down. I threw caution to the wind and tossed my sweatshirt to the side.

He used the added mobility to splay one hand over my upper back and the other to hold my head to the side while he left a trail of kisses down my neck.

"_Classy_." I muttered before his lips covered mine again. I tilted my head and opened my mouth a bit more. The silence was only interrupted with our ragged breathing and gasps of pleasure.

His hands were continually coming further and further up my back leaving a wave of goosebumps in their wake, only adding to the warmth flooding my system and the heat pooling in my stomach.

The door rattled and a child cried on the other side. His mother was trying to reassure him.

We both shot a look at each other. His pants were hanging low on his hips from my legs around his waist, I only had yoga shorts and an undershirt on and Ichigo bumped around to find where I had throw his shirt.

When the child finally pried the door open, two half dressed people flew from its depths, scaring the kid and making the mother gasp at outrage. She ran to the door to watch as we raced down the hallway.

When we reached the beach about a block from the cabin, we both had to stop for fear of dying from laughter.

**I got six reviews for romance, so I provide you with romance. I know I don't say this enough, but thank you for reviewing, you're the reason I even update!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

Day 11

I was purposely hiding under the covers. I could hear Ichigo messing with the cappuccino machine and a few slurred curse words causing my lips to tug up into a grin before I realized what I was doing. What they hell was I thinking yesterday?

I let out a groan and rolled over to my other side hoping to slip back into oblivion where I didn't have to look my hot business partners in the eye while trying not to jump them him the kitchen. The loud bumping of the coffee maker stopped and I peeked an eye out from under the comforter. Ichigo walked into the bedroom and placed my mug on the bedside table, unaware that I was awake. He padded to the bathroom and the shower started.

A breath whooshed from my lungs as I sat up abruptly. My fingers snaked around the warm porcelain and I brought it to my lips. I was surprised to find that even though he was incapable of painting, he could make one hell of a cup of coffee.

My back rested lightly against the headboard and I took another drink. I knew we couldn't just put up a ruse, pretending we didn't do anything last night. I raised a hesitant hand up to my lips before chiding myself for acting like a little girl. I had been kissed before, granted never in a closet and never like that before, but still!

Another groan from between my lips.

I threw off the covers and walked over to the bathroom door. Threw the wood I could hear him humming an unfamiliar toon. This time when I smiled, I couldn't get it off my face. When I finally pulled my face away from the door, I made my way to the kitchen.

Coco powders and coffee mix was scattered over the counter tops and the machine itself was covered with little brown fingerprints. A whole handprint was on the side, like he had to restrain the machine from shaking. A giggle came out.

I put my cup down and jumped up onto the countertops. My feet swung over the overhang and I listened with bated breath to hear what he was singing. Wen I grew tired of straining my ears, a walked over into the bedroom and knocked on the wall, screaming so he could hear me threw the plaster and paint.

"You're gonna have to sing a little louder, I can hear you!" I yelled and after a nasty sounding bang and a few crashes the bathroom door opened and Ichigo pink face popped out. I couldn't hold back a laugh, he looked like a child that had scrubbed his face to much while in the bathtub.

"I like you better when you were asleep." He commented, running a hand threw his dripping hair before slamming the door and getting back in the shower. I called again.

"I'm sorry!" My words were punctuated with giggles and I hated that I sounded as much like a child as Ichigo had looked, but for the moment, I pushed that thought to the back of my mind.

"You should be!" He screamed back, and the water continued to pounding into the tub. I could hear his wet footfalls as they made their way to the door. I carefully climbed off the bed and tiptoed to the door, pressing my ear to the wood to listen for Ichigo.

Before I could move, the door was thrown open and a one hundred and fifty pounds of wet Ichigo engulfed me. I could feel the moisture seeping into the fabric of my shirt and shorts and let out a squeal. He was spinning around on the hardwood floor, spraying drops of water all over everything including me. I pushed out off his hold and shoved his chest.

"Look what you did you ass!" I screamed, my words couldn't come out serious though because I was trying to hold the laughter back down my throat, but to no avail.

A loud pounding was happening at the front door and a raced to the front window to see who it was while slipping and sliding over the numerous puddles. Missy was rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, her sports bra especially tight today, and her water bottle attached to her hip.

I tried to stop Ichigo from opening the door but he reached the door handle first, opening it and letting the evil monster in. I quickly ducked to hide behind the curtains.

"Oh! Hello!" Missy smiled and Ichigo fidgeted with his towel, trying to get it up a bit so it wouldn't ride so low on his hips. Missy watched this was satisfaction. Finally giving up with his wrap he looked her in the face.

"So, did you need something?" He questioned, his eyes flashing to my hiding spot every few seconds. He was a horrid actor.

"We'll you see, I think I ran over a nail and I was wondering if Rukia could give call me a ride back to my house, is she...home?" She asked, leaning in and peeking around Ichigo. I made sure not to move a muscle.

"She is...out...doing...something." I wanted to smack my head against the wall. He was always so calm around other people but when it came to lying to a woman, he started to choke.

"Good." Missy purred, walking into the house and racing after Ichigo when he ran into the bedroom and locked the door. My mind was whirling a million miles per hour.

A sprinted from my hiding spot and into the bathroom. I tore my shirt off and tossed my pants into the laundry basket, leaving me in my favorite pair of lacy undergarments. The things I do for the people I like. As I was looking around the room to find a loose towel, i noticed the trail of small bite marks on my neck. I let out a frustrated sigh. I wrapped a towel around my waist and shoved my head under the now freezing waster before dashing out the door and right into Missy who looked about a shocked to see me as I was pretending to be at seeing her.

"What the hell?" I asked, trying to cover my almost bare chest with my hands even if my bra was more covering than hers.

"Sorry! Ichigo offered me a ride because my bike has a flat tire!" She covered, placing her hands on her hips as innocently as possible.

"Why would you come to us, we don't even have a car, we ride with some friends of ours..." I muttered, I liked watching her squirm.

"Oh well, sorry to have disturbed you." She raced out of the house, slipping and falling on one of the puddles.

"You can come out now!" I called and when I didn't get an answer I spun around only to come face to face with Ichigo. He was smirking like the cat that caught the canary. "No! It was one thing in a hot storage closet but I'm not even dressed!"

He just smirked and leaned down to whisper into my ear, sending a shiver and a wave of goosebumps up my spine.

"That makes to of us."

**This is one of my favorite chapters and I have no idea why. I don't want to look this over so...sorry for the mistakes.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

Day 12

Ichigo stomped back into the room, his hair plastered to his face with the small sprinkling of rain. The wind was howling outside and tore at his coat and borrowed umbrella. He tossed the ruined tarp and metal into the corner of the hotel room.

"Well, the phone lines are down due to the wind storm and we got one of the last rooms available." He tugged his dripping coat onto the coat rack and looked around the room with weary eyes.

"I hate hotels, with their funky smells and unexplainable spots." I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck to get rid of the kink there. "I knew we shouldn't have stayed, the man on the boat even said they were leaving early to get back to the island before the storm, but did you listen?"

"You are as much to blame as I am." He scoffed, throwing himself down onto the bed next to me. I scooted away slowly.

After the kissing afterglow, we both seemed to come back to the reality that we were business partners. That seemed to be like a smack in face with a double dose of a punch in the stomach. Now it was just awkward.

The wind storm was accompanied with a small amount of rain. We had been on Main Street for the Monsoon Parade, seemed the storm of honor showed up. While the hail and precipitation wasn't bad, the wind was. We were confined into a tiny motel room with candles, a toilet, and three towels. Luckily, the electrics were still working so we weren't completely caveman-ish.

"Out of all the hotels in the city, we had to have this one?" I asked, trying to not touch anything for fear of it being full of a strange substance.

"You try paying for a posh room with seventy-five dollars and a toothpick." I shivered when I remembered the man behind the front dest with the bad teeth and the lusty stare. He winked at me when he placed the key in my hands.

The room itself was mostly based on a dark theme. The curtains were a deep red and the bed spread was a dark black, bordering on obsidian. The chairs were spray painted the match the curtains and the floor blended with the comforter. The walls were the same hue as the blood red pillows.

"So...what do you wanna do?" Ichigo asked, twirling the room key around on his finger.

"What is there, to do?" I responded, sarcasm thick in my tone.

"We could-"

"I'm going to stop you right there, I can see that sick glint in your eye." He snorted and we lapsed into silence, the wind whipping leaves and loose debris onto the one window in the room. Our raid of the vending machine left us with an ass load of quarters, three Twinkies, six bags of chips, two candy bars, and a single tub of Pringles.

I tried to keep our stock pile in my line of sight but my eyes kept creeping over to the man lounging over on the bed, his shirt riding up to show a strip of his waist. I stuttered and started to spin a lone dime around under my fingers to distract me. It worked for all of three seconds. I sighed and he peeked out from under his arm which he had thrown over his face. He raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with you?" I knew that a blush was fanning across my cheeks but hopped fruitlessly that in the dim light it just looked like the cold was getting to me.

"_Nothing_!" I snapped, looking away from him and to the dark splotch on the wallpaper. He watched my every move till he lost interest and moved onto a better pass time, eating. "Hey, I get the Pringles!"

"Why?" He had his back to me and was ripping the sealing paper of the lip of the can. Before he could reach for one, I had grabbed the can from his hands and jumped over the bed.

"Because I bought it!" I looked into the tin and grabbed a crisp. He let out a whine and I tossed a chip in his direction. He caught it, ate it, and slowly made his way around the bed to my not so good hiding spot. "Don't come any closer!"

He ignored my plea, instead, he started smiling. His lips seemed to have a sly tilt to them and before he could come anywhere near me, I kicked away from the wall and sprinted over the already rumbled bedding. He sprung at me with his crazily long legs and just missed my feet. I landed on the floor and raced to the opposing corner of the room, lamp held tightly in my grasp.

"I will beat you if you don't stay on that bed!"

"Is that a promise?"

At his snarky reply, I scoffed and rested my head in my free hand. He seemed to find this funny and soon was quoting to me his long list of archived innuendoes into my ear. Following that, he was laying face down on the bed with my handprint on his cheek. Now it was Ichigo who was snickering.

"You're so easily provoked." He was relaxing on his back, unworried by the storm pounding on our door. I rolled a candle up and down the table, listening to the bumpy noise it made.

"Well you're a jackass so..." I could feel the pathetic comeback die on my lips. He seemed to realize that I was bored.

FFYF

"Go fish." I moaned and grabbed from the deck of cards and added to my already heavy hand.

The man sitting across from me hid his tilted lips behind his hand and quickly placed down another set of four. I growled and was rewarded with a laugh from Ichigo. He waited patiently for me to ask for a card and after I did, he shook his head with glee as I pulled another card.

"I win." Ichigo said, laying down his hands, all matched to another suit within his hand. I threw a card at him and watched as it bounced off his shirt and landed in his lap. A sly smirk curled his lips as he tapped his fingers to an unheard beat. " So, what's my prize?"

"A kick in the as-"

"Now now sweetheart, calm down." He was so full of himself, his cocky nature beginning to grate on my nerves. I licked the last bag of chips and tossed the wrapper into the garbage. He watched my moves with a practiced precision. He licked his lips and I smirked.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" I cocked my hips and the snarky look vanished from his face and in its place was a visage of uncertainty. He looked a little lost. I started to laugh and a small smile lifted his lips.

"Another game?" He asked, shuffling the cards and relieving the thick atmosphere; and for a few hours, we could forget that we kissed and both liked it. We could forget that tense feeling that normally followed a compromising situation and just laugh.

So that's what we did, hoping to hold onto this feeling before things got even more awkward.

**So I've gotten a ton of comments telling me ALL the mistakes I've made in the last few chapter, so if you are reading this, sorry, but I had to get some work done on my teeth and wasn't really feeling well enough to read over the chapter with a pounding headache. Yes in some cases I did write wen instead of when, but that's only because when I get typing, I sometimes skip whole sentences. I'm sorry if is bothers you but please just telling me to look over the chapter, not point out every flaw. Thank you.**

**Oh, and also, EJ or Guest, if you want to correct me then fine but please do it so I can message you back on the account and not over the chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

Day 13

Ichigo kicked the door in like he was Van Damme. We lugged out waterlogged bodies up the stairs and into the pristine cabin. Yoruichi strutted in behind us, her perfect hair protected under her large brimmed hat and purple umbrella. She fluidly shut the canvas and padded inside, her feet never stumbling even though her shoes were as tall as my whole hand.

"So, where were you two last night? We came over to place a game of cards and saw that you weren't home. What were you both up too?" She raised her eyebrow with interest as both Ichigo and I stuttered out a reply that only made her smirk grow. "A grimy hotel room in the middle of a storm. Not really my style."

"Well don't think it's mine either!" I defended, trailing behind her into the kitchen while Ichigo went to take a shower. She placed the strainer over the coffee machine and made a cup of joe with the machine that had given us hell over the duration of our stay.

"You know something, even if we are paying you be our friends, I kinda like you." She confided, sipping delicately from her cup.

"I kinda like you even if you weren't paying us, but I like money so..." I joked with her, grabbing her cup and draining the last few drops from the small porcelain glass.

"So what are your plans for when you get home? What are you and Ichigo going to spend the money on? Do you share an apartment or have a house?" Her questions left a sick feeling in he pit of my stomach once I realized she still thought we were married. I spun the fake wedding ring around my finger, its wight almost familiar now.

"I honestly don't know." She smiled and we lapsed into silence, something I thought impossible with her, but it wasn't a heavy quiet, just a peaceful one. "So, you have to tell me how you met Kisuke. Not that you're not one of the most perfect matches I have ever seen but-"

"We're a strange pair." She answered for me with a rueful smile. Her eyes seemed to shine when she talked about him. "We were childhood friends. He lived down the road from my mansion. His mother was a friend of my mothers, even though she was in a lower caste. We would play for hours."

"That's it?" I asked and she threw her head back and laughed. It was a loud, booming sound.

"Oh no! When we came of age we both went to work at a large cooperation where my family has worked for generations. Kisuke was a natural, he could sell sand to a camel." She popped up onto the counter top and made herself another cup of coffee. Her small smile had cracked into a joyful grin. "One day, a man walks into the office to announce, I should be engaged to him. Oh I was furious!"

She stopped her story to let her laugh out before continuing.

"He just claimed me like I was some possession, so I did the fist thing that came to mind. I lied. Told him I was already promised to someone else and can you guess which childhood friend chose that perfect movement to walk past my door?" Her words were spaced by our strained giggles. "Yup, so I told him I was taken and that is the story about how I inadvertently got married."

"Oh that will be a good one to tell to the grandkids." I wiped the stray tear from my face and let out one last snicker.

"So how did you meet Ichigo?" Again, her question caused ice to pool in my belly. I scrunched my brow up in confusion and was prepared to lie, until I realized, it might just be easily to tell her the truth.

"I almost ran him over." I admitted, allowing a true smile to pull at my mouth. "He had dropped a... thermos, if I remember correctly, and when he raced out to get it, I hit him with my car."

From the look on her face, that was not the story she thought I would tell her.

"Well, that sure is special." She said, smiling and adding a bit of liquor to her coffee.

"I can remember the second time I saw her, apart from her screaming face after I totaled her car-" Ichigo commented, walking in slowly before leaning on the doorframe. "-She was smuggling booze into her office."

"Oh, my sweet Rukia, never!" Yoruichi gasped, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me into her chest. "She wouldn't _think_ of such things!"

"Yup! She pulled it off like a pro, the only time I snuck something in was a beer and that was confiscated." He winked at me and I couldn't stop the laugh that wanted to bubble out of my throat. "It was that moment that I really had some respect for her."

His eyes never strayed from mine and I realized that, like me, he wasn't lying. A small smile pulled up one side of my mouth and he grinned back. I could practically hear Yoruichi cooing by my side while a blush flooded my cheeks.

FFYF

I knew that I should be in bed but I couldn't help but walk up and down the long expanse of beach. Tomorrow would be the last day, then we could go home, but that was were the problems lie.

For two relatively smart company workers, we missed an obvious mistake. How would we explain that we were not married once they had signed all the contracts? The twisting in my gut only intensified and I wrapped my hands around my waist to stop myself from shivering in the warm night air.

The night had been relatively normal, we had gotten a call from Head Commander and once we decided that I would get the money, hung up. I think both of us were starting to feel like our whole time here was a big old ball of part-truths.

After that, Orihime and Uryū had invited us and Kisuke and Yoruichi out for a few drinks. We only had between one and two beers each, and headed home. I could still hear their laughter bouncing around in my head. I don't know what stared this whole, self pity thing, but I tried to put it behind me.

When I looked up from my feet splashing around in the surf, I noticed my legs had taken me to only place I really didn't want to be. I watched Yoruichi strut around her cabin, her robe tied around her waist before picking up a stone and tossing it towards the bathroom window.

I waited quietly till Yoruichi tugged open the resisting sill and leaned her head out to see who was stupid enough to throw rocks like this was some cheesy seventies movie. When her eyes rested on my she let out an exited squeal and bound down the stairs and quietly opened and closed the door so that her sleeping spouse would remain that way.

"Hey, so what are we doing?" She questioned and her voice was tinged with excitement.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." She looked a little crestfallen but followed obediently behind me, kicking at the loose sea weed that had been brushed onto the shore.

"So?"

I was planning on taking things slow, explain the basics and all the lies I had told her but something stopped me. It could have been the way she was so nice to me, or the way that she handed out her trust so willingly. Whatever the reason, I could feel the twisting in my gut tightening. The words spewed from my mouth without my consent.

"I never married Ichigo! We lied and in reality I kinda hated him because he was a jerk and an asshole. I really wanted to tell you because you're really nice and I feel bad lying to you and did you notice how far I walked, oh my goodness if you end up hating me, I'm going to have to walk home." I took a breath. "And now, something's...something's wrong because suddenly I like him like, like, like a girl likes a boy but this is Ichigo so I must just be sick or mentally unstable or both so why do you look like you think I'm joking?"

I was heaving and had to place my head between my legs to try and get my breath back. I peeked up from under my curtain of hair to see her. My brows scrunched up in laughter and when I finally straitened my back, she let her giggles out.

"I was wondering when you would tell me!" She laughed, grabbing her stomach and pointing at me. "I called your work and asked for a Rukia Kurosaki, all I got was a Kuchiki. Don't think me stupid girl!"

With her words I realized just how much older than me she truly was. She had one thing right, she most certainly wasn't stupid, brilliant in fact, and noticed everything.

"You aren't mad?" I asked, still reading over the smirk that pulled at her face. "Not even a little bit?"

"I might have been a bit mad if you didn't admit that you like my ward." She chuckled and walked over to me before placing her hand delicately on my shoulder. "You see, at first, I was furious, I was going to beat your face in-" I flinched but she didn't notice, and continued. "-but then you came with us and I saw the way he would look at you when you didn't notice and don't think I didn't see those stares you shot in his direction when his back was turned!"

I could feel my cheeks coloring but Yoruichi took this as an encouraging sign and went on to finish her line of thought.

"After that, I felt like it would be my duty to make you two love birds as uncomfortable and humanly possible. And all my hard work paid off!" He screeched out a battle cry and threw me over her shoulder in joy. "I can't tell you how long I waited for this!"

"What?" I asked, almost scared to understand what she was talking about.

"For a girl man enough to whip my Ichigo into shape!"

**Two updates in one day, I'm on a role.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: Me No Own Bleach.**

Day 14

"I knew this would be a bad idea but no, we had to relax!" I yelled, banging on the spa's thick door. My voice deepened to imitate Ichigo's rough baritone. "'It'll be fun!'"

"Don't go blaming this on me, you were the one that flipped off the lights, they must think no one is in here!" He joined me by the door and our added pounding caused bells to ring in my ears. I let out a strangled cry of frustration before falling back onto the warming stone seats.

"I didn't turn off the lights, it was you that bumped into me!" I defended, pushing the clingy strands of hair out of my eyes. His hair was darkening in color as water droplets covered them. Even in the dark I was hyperaware of where he was. It was like the air was humming if we so much as brushed hands.

"How will we get out?" If I hadn't known better, I might have thought he sounded concerned.

"The room will automatically open when they reach a certain temperature, so its not like we will die." I muttered, fanning myself with the long sleeve of my robe. I went on to explain when he didn't respond with the usual snarky comment. "Gave a speech once on a spa location I was selling. Lied through my teeth."

He chucked and took the seat across from me, I could tell because of the relaxed sigh that floated over the slightly flaming coals. As the fire started to grow under the vents, their lights cast deep shadows across our bodies.

We had decided that a day to pamper ourselves would be needed and while we booked the package, the woman gave us a dirty smirk. We had changed in separate rooms and when walking down the hallway to our designated spa areas, Ichigo had slipped on a puddle and tugged me into a room. This led to the chaos of pushing me onto the control panel on the outside of the room where my hand splayed across the frame to stop me from falling. This also included when Ichigo locked the door. The automatic door. The door that only opens from the outside.

"So, what's the plan?" He asked, the coals seeming to reflect off his tanned skin. I could feel my cheeks flaming. I had to pull my head out of my ass to respond to him.

"It should just shut off and unlock after the required time is set." I bit my tongue a few times so that it would stop feeling like a lump hanging in my mouth.

"Good." He rested his head back against the pillows placed around the rooms. The reds and yellows filled in the sharp lines of his cheekbones and made the low cut v that trailed its way down his abdomen seem like it had caught fire. I swallowed roughly.

His lashes rested lightly against his cheeks and I watched as the pupils underneath flashed back and forth, seeking sight under closed lids. His fingers were laced together and placed in his lap, this seemingly feminine gesture looked almost masculine when done by him. His legs were crossed at the ankle and the thin robe left little to the imagination. My blush darkened.

His wild hair was plastered to his face, its once vibrant color dulled to an almost brown color. It was so long it almost reached his nose when wet. When it looked like he was going to open his eyes, I quickly batter my eyelashes and pretended I wasn't just thinking that he was very handsome, very fit, and very available.

I could feel his eyes on me for a few seconds before the blaze seemed to dim a bit. I refused my bodies reaction to open my eyes to see if his gaze was still on me. I slowly uncoiled the muscles that had been tight all day, relaxing and unwinding.

FFYF

She was watching him.

He could feel her eyes interrogating his every move. His eyelids fluttered and he heard a slight intake of breath, a pretty sound that he didn't even think she knew she had made. He wanted to smirk, happy to have this power over her.

Even though he couldn't visually see we're her gaze fell, he could feel the blazing path it made up and down his body. He wasn't a fool, he knew he was good-looking, nothing spectacular, but good-looking nevertheless, so when the tingling rested on his intertwined fingers, he felt confused. Of all the placed for her to look, she picks his hands?

He tried to stop his eyes from opening but by the time he caught her face in his sights, her head was tilted to the side and her eyes were covered. He raised a brow and wondered if he had imagined the whole thing. He was relieved when he noted the slight twitching of the corner of her eye, a tail tell sign that she was faking.

A dusting of pink was visible under the yellow hue cast over her cheek by the fire. Her long neck was exposed and seemed too graceful to belong on such a brass woman. Her lips were parted but the fuller upper lip was moving, like she was whispering or trying to stop herself from exposing the fact that she was awake.

He moved to the low dip of her robe, the creamy white material covering less than nothing and he wanted to snicker, he knew that she knew that he was watching her. He would start teasing her but the blush he knew he was sporting would only be a good comeback if they got into it.

He sighed and sat silently, entranced as slowly, her body unwound, letting the tight muscles of her shoulders and legs unclench and settle into a more comfortable position. What, did she think he was asleep?

He felt the tiniest slip of regret when he realized he was staring at her with most impure thoughts. The time in the closet came rushing back and he pushed it down, instead focusing on the burning coals situated in the center of the room in a small alcove.

When he looked up, his brown eyes clashed with her deep violet.

FFYF

I couldn't do it.

I turned my head as quietly as I could and watched Ichigo stare longingly into the fire. Now I was just plain angry. _I'm sure the fire would be a better kisser._ My snarky thoughts were cut short when his head bobbed up and he caught my eye.

His eyes were raised to half-mass, slightly lidded and almost looked glazed over. He stood up and before I could ask what the hell they put in the smoke, his long arm shot out and kept me in my place.

"What. Are. You. Doing." It wasn't phrased as a question, it was a demand, and he seemed not to keen on answering it.

"Well, considering that you won't talk to me when we get back to the office besides the normal snarky sass that is eighty percent of your personality, I'm going to kiss you. Got any objections." He seemed to wait for my anger, my mommy voice telling him that we should just cut this off and walk with the money.

But I'm not the kinda girl to give up.

"One."

I never got to finish my sentence, his lips covered mine and I couldn't get the words out of my mouth. My hands kitted together at the base of his scull and his buried themselves in the sheer material of the robe, wrapped at my side.

"And that would be?" He asked, his sinful lips leaving a trail of cooling kissed down my jaw till he reached the juncture of my neck were he smirked against the skin.

"Oh god, you're one...oh...of them...ah...aren't you?" I stuttered out, only stuttering when his mouth opened and his warm breath brushed over tender skin.

"And what would that-Whoa!" He gasped when I spun him around so I could sit on his lap. But like any business man worth his salt, he took it all in stride. "Be?"

"A talker." I murmured into his ear, along with a chuckle and he turned his head towards my mouth. I dragged my hands from his damp hair forward to rest on his cheeks. He raised and eyebrow with a smirk placed on his lips.

"And I never thought of you as a pansy." He whispered the last part and when I leaned down slowly, brushing our lips together before separating, he let out a growl. I wasn't sure how to react so I chose to give in.

This time, when our lips connected, I noticed Ichigo's hands heading south and let out a hum of enjoyment. I bit back a sigh; we don't want him to think he was making my insides jelly now, would we.

While his fingers rubbed circles into the slim material, mine trailed from his broad shoulders to the drifting collar of his robe. He seemed to know where this was going, because his arms tightened delightfully under my palm before flexing and dislodging that pesky clothing from his torso. My hands fluttered down his chest to rest on his strong stomach.

Now it was his turn to purr in contentment.

"So...tell me." He hushed, leaving one hand to hold my hip in place and the other to keep my head close to his.

"Tell... You...what?" I questioned, letting my neck lull happily when he repeated his earlier kissing on my shoulders, letting his breath brush over each spot and making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

"Your one condition." He purred, his chest rumbling under the pads of my fingers and the vibrations made my toes curl.

We were slipping into foreign territory. Half-hysterical kissing in a broom closet and morning after make-outs were understandable, they happened when two people haven't seen anyone in a while, but the actions we were doing now, they were more commonplace among lovers than associates.

Unlike the other two times, my mind wasn't completely hazed over, I watched Ichigo's skin stretch tight over the bone and muscle in his neck.

"Are you going to answer me question?" He asked, slightly breathless, but it seemed form his tone of voice that he didn't expect me to respond.

"Lie to me."

"What?" He had stopped imprinting my shoulders and instead turned his head to the side as if to hear me better. His breath blew across my ear and I took in the position we were in, our limps entangled together like a real couple.

"Tell me this won't become awkward and that everything will be fine when we get back into the office." He just nodded his head and huffed in annoyance. I rested my chin on his shoulder. "What are you all huffy about?"

"Am I really so boring that you think about work when we kiss?"

I let out a laugh and it felt nice to let the sound bounce around the wall before it fell silent. It was almost strange how comfortable I felt around this fool of a man. I guess that's what I get for spending two weeks in the same room with him.

We sat in the same position for no longer than fifteen minutes before the door unlatched and swung open, letting the superheated air flood out into the sparely decorated hallway. We both looked at the binge wallpaper and stood, straightening our robes and calmly walking to the reception dest to get our clothing.

FFYF

The sentimental mush that was traded between us in our vapor induced haze was shoved into the darkest recesses of each of our mind, only to be opened on very special occasions.

We packed out bags with little talking. I was missing a few belts that he had accidentally shoved under the bed. He had misplaced flip flops which I found in the dishwasher. We mixed up a batch of Kool-Aid and spiked it, considering that in less then twenty-four hours, we would be back on the clock.

Missy stopped by to try and give Ichigo a goodby smooch. He politely told her to fuck off.

Yoruichi and her husband gave us each a tacky vase, one that was mostly plastic for the easily fooled tourists. I think I might have cried a little till they reminded me they were investing in our company.

Orihime and Uryū stopped by. Orihime started crying and while I tried to shush her, Ichigo and her husband did the awkward bromance hug that all men do. We all exchanged numbers and I promised to explain the situation to her one day.

We walked to the ramp and waved to the small boat bobbing on the dribbling waters. It was the same darkly tanned man that had first brought us to the island.

"Has it really only been two weeks?" Ichigo questioned, running a hand through his hair.

"I think I was drunk at least six times." We both laughed, tossing our belongings into our transport home before he offered me a hand to help me down off the tall dock. "You know one thing we didn't do, skinny dip."

This caused a whole new round of laughter that lasted all the way to the mainland and onto the flight. When the plane landed, we both went our separate ways, knowing that tomorrow would be like a slap in the face. And not the good kind.

**I'm pretty sure this was suppose to be humor, I think it's almost dark now.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**

7:25

I pulled the comb through my wet hair with to much force before taking the wet strands and pinning them up in a mock bun. I couldn't help the few flyaway hairs that refused to be held back. I huffed and watched as they fluttered around my face. To late to change it.

I raced into my closet, picking through the racks till I found an outfit worthy of the first day back. I shimmied out of my pajamas and into the skirt and top. I made sure not to mess my hair up more than normal.

I grabbed my keys from the colorful dish by the door before throwing my computer case over my shoulder and high tailing it down the driveway. I would have to grab breakfast.

7:45

I flipped on my turn signal and twisted the wheel, pulling into the underground parking lot. I weaved past all the other cars till I reached my normal parking spot, Ichigo's car packed snuggling in my slot. I huffed in annoyance and rolled down my window, cursing him out so that he could hear me from his spot in the elevator. I could tell that he heard me from the deep chuckle that sounded in the cement parking space.

I munched angrily on my Sonic burrito and supped at my plastic cup as I slowly drove through the isles looking for another free space so close to opening time.

8:00

I flashed my card at the Security Guard and he stopped me with a hand to the midsection. I sighed in annoyance as he perched in my key cards number for confirmation. His muttered thank you only served to further my anger.

8:05

My hands fumbled with my keys as I tried to open my door. The coffee I had bought was cooling in my hands and my shoes were rubbing at my heels. I wanted to know how I ever walked in these things.

Renji raised an eyebrow and opened the door for me. When I thanked him and walked inside he gave me a snort and followed.

"What's gotten into you? Are you eating fast food?"

"I had a whole two weeks of kicking back my feet and laying around a beach house. Do you really think I would want to come back to work? As for the food, what's wrong with Sonic?" I confided, sitting my coffee on a cup holder and flipping my computer on.

"I thought you would be dying to come back, considering your bunk mate." He joked while pointing to the closed door across the hallway and he didnt seem to notice my back tightened at the mention of him. I relaxed as not to give anything away.

"He was fine, I made him sleep on the couch." For a few days. I thought, but I dared not tell him that. "Did the work pile up too bad?"

"Naw."

I quickly shooed him away so he couldn't see the blood pooling in my cheeks.

9:30

I handed over the papers and sighed notes from our trip. The Commander told me good job and wrote out a personal check in my name. He informed me that he contacted my brother to tell him of my wonderful work. I hopped brother thought so too.

On my way out a kissed the check. This was my ticket to full time.

10:30

I finished all of my paperwork and stood to get another cup of coffee. The brake rooms mixer was much simpler than the one on the island, and for that I was thankful, but the tingling on the back of my neck distracted me and made me tilt my head and look over my shoulder.

Ichigo was leaning over the breakfast bar with a woman, a secretary i think, chatting animatedly next to him. His eyes grazed her head and locked with mine. He winked and I snorted.

11:00

I took a seat at the nearest table to eat lunch. Momo joined me and whenever she asked me questions, I answered to the best of my abilities. I had to slip a few lies in, like what happened when we got locked in the spa together. She thought that was funny.

As she went off on a tangent about her new boyfriend, I peeked around her head to the man with his back to me, eating a store bought salad. Almost as if he could tell I was looking at him, his shoulders loosened and his head tilted to the side. Before he could get a good look, my eyes flashed back to Momo.

I could tell he was smirking from across the cafeteria.

12:00

The damn printer was stuck again. I kicked at it with my high toed shoes but that only caused pain for me.

"Work. You. Ugly. Butt!" I smacked its lid and it buzzed to life. I let out a cry of joy before covering my mouth and hoping that nobody would walk past and wonder.

"Pretty proud of yourself?"

I spun around and noted Ichigo relaxing lightly on the doorframe, a folder or two tucked under his arm. I also noticed the snug fitting vest he wore.

"I am thank you." I declared, raising my chin up high before going back to my business with the printer. He recrossed his arms and sat back onto the counter next to me. He leaned down as if to say something.

"I don't know about you, but I'm missing our morning margaritas." I laughed, and smacked his arm when I accidentally pressed the wrong button. He fixed it quickly and went back to lounging around like he didn't have a thing to do. "Felt you watching me in the lunchroom."

"What? I didn't even see you." I knew that he knew that I was lying but hey, it was fun to tease him. A small smirk tugged that the corner of his lips and mine followed suit.

12:30

I strutted out of the printing room, the papers tucked to my side. I licked my thumb to fix my smeared lipstick and then moved on to straitening my pencil skirt and readjusting my blouse. Ichigo swaggered out after me, his hair mussed and my red lipstick made his lips look almost a ruby hue.

"That lip color looks just fabulous on you. Really brings out your eyes." I said. He chuckled and padded up next to me, working on fixing the buttons of his vest. I pinned my hair back so the rumpled hairstyle would somewhat resembled how it looked before Ichigo had his way with it.

"I had better fix that." He licked his lips and while I wanted to laugh, I kept my face stiff as we passed Security. They did a double take at Ichigo, but when the spotted him a second time, all traces of red had been wiped from his lips.

"I think we might just pull this off."

"That we might."

We both turned to our respective doors and as I walked in could feel his eyes on me. I took the heel of my shoe and grabbed the doors bottom, flicking my ankle and smiling as the door slammed shut with a perfect bang.

**~Fin~**


End file.
